In a study published in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, researchers assessed the patient recovery-time burden of the water method with the option of on-demand sedation during colonoscopies.
Researchers studied 100 veterans accepting on-demand sedation for colonoscopies, half of whom were assigned to the water method and the half of whom were assigned to the air method. Results showed 78 percent of patients in the water group could complete colonoscopy without sedation, compared to 54 percent of the air group. A secondary analysis showed that the water method also resulted in reduced medication requirements for fentanyl and midazolam. Patients in the water group also reported a faster recovery time than the air group, and less discomfort was experienced in the water group than the air group.
Read the study about water method during colonoscopy.
Read other coverage about colonoscopies:
- Study: Patient Tolerance for Unsedated Colonoscopy Improved by Novel Water Method
- Patients’ Ethnic and Gender Preference on Endoscopists Could Cause Barriers to CRC Screening
- Researchers Spotlight “Promising” New Treatments for Irritable Bowel Syndrome