Abstract
Background
Colonoscopy remains the preferred screening and diagnostic test for many gastroenterological diseases and excellent bowel preparation is needed to get the best results. Recently, many cases were released reporting the development of sever symptomatic hyponatremia with seizure and encephalopathy as a complications of bowel preparation formulas. Other studies showed development of dysnatremia with unknown significance.
Aims
To detect the incidence of missing elective colonoscopy secondary to sever hyponatremia or other complications resulting from bowel preparation prior to procedure leading to admissions or emergency room visits
Methods
We are reviewed all endoscopy outpatient lists and the electronic medical records of all patient who were booked for elective colonoscopy but did not show up to have it in a single large tertiary care hospital over a period of one year (2017) to correlate that with development of severe complications like hyponatremia that required hospital admission or emergency room visit to manage them.
Results: Results
Out of 2226 colonoscopies booked in 2017, 105 patients did not show up for their procedures. Only 2 patients missed it because of hospital admission and neither were because of hyponatremia nor related to the bowel preparation. Another 3 patients did not show up for their procedures as they did not tolerate the preparation (vomiting)
Conclusions
The risk of developing sever complications -mainly hyponatremia-secondary to any form of bowel preparation is still very low. We think they are safe with consideration of co-morbidities and risk factors that may contribute to the electrolytes shift and their life threatening complications.
Funding Agencies
None