What preparation is needed when you have endoscopy?

You will experience pain, discomfort, vomiting during endoscopic screening, so fasting for at least 6 hours, not drinking colored water.

Doctors often appoint endoscopy with patients who need to check stomach and colon problems. People with symptoms of chest pain or epigastric pain, vomiting, belching, indigestion, weight loss should go to the hospital for examination. In these cases, the doctor may order a gastrointestinal examination to screen for inflammation, ulcers or cancer.

Nasal endoscopy.(Photo: Thuy An).

According to Dr. Dao Van Long, former Head of the Department of Gastroenterology at Bach Mai Hospital, when endoscopy patients often have uncomfortable feelings, pain, vomiting; completed examination felt bloated and uncomfortable in the throat. Many people have never had a colonoscopy but "heard" should also have psychological fear, even fear of infection and infectious diseases caused by sterile endoscopic instruments.

In addition to oral endoscopy, there is also a nasal endoscopy . A small endoscope, 6 mm in diameter, is inserted into the nasal passages for endoscopy of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, limiting discomfort to the patient. As a result, doctors easily manipulate and have more time to observe more accurately. This method is safe, only for 15 minutes and less irritating than oral endoscopy.

Endoscopy with capsules is also a new method. The patient swallowed a camera device shaped like a ball pill to observe images in the intestine, small intestine, large intestine, duodenum . This method requires no anesthesia and no pain. The time this capsule goes from mouth to anus takes 8-10 hours. Meanwhile, patients can still function normally and do light things. Capsules are excreted through the feces. Costs for capsule endoscopy are higher than for conventional endoscopy.

The patient may also have anesthesia . This is a popular method to examine and detect signs of stomach damage such as inflammation, ulcer, infection, bleeding, cancer. Fast endoscopic time 3-5 minutes. The patient did not feel uncomfortable, no pain, no nausea as usual endoscopy through the mouth or nose.

Prepare before gastroscopy

Before screening:

1. The whole stomach must be clean, without food. Patients need to fast for at least 6 hours before endoscopy.
2. Do not drink colored water: coca, coffee, orange juice, milk .
3. Absolutely obey the doctor's requirements and indications.

After screening:

1. After the examination is completed, if the patient does not show any abnormalities, he can go home immediately.
2. Do not eat or drink anything for one hour after an endoscopy or before a doctor's assessment.