There are many reasons that gastroscopies are performed, a few of the most common reasons include:

1. Abdominal pain 

2. Heart Burn (also called reflux or GERD)

3. Trouble swallowing or food getting 'hung up' when eating

4. GI bleeding (both throwing up blood and dark stools)

5. Persistent nausea and/or vomiting

6. Non heart related chest pain

 

 

Our office will give specific instructions regarding how to prepare for an endoscopy examination before the procedure. These instructions are meant to optimize the experience for the doctor and the patient.

You will be instructed to avoid eating any solids for up to 8 hours before the procedure and may drink clear liquids up to 4 hours prior to the procedure. This is to ensure that your stomach will be empty to allow your endoscopist to visualize the entire area and to prevent the possibility of food contents being vomited into the lungs while you are sedated. 

 

 

You can take most prescription and non prescription medicines up to the day of the gastroscopy. Our office will review your medication list and tell you what medicines to stop. Some medications increase the risk of bleeding, like previscan; Coumadin (warfarin) and Plavix (clopidogrel).

 

 

For the procedure, you will be given a fast acting sedative, which will put you asleep during the process. Although you will wake up quickly, the sedative medicines cause temporary changes in reflexes and judgment so you will need someone to take you home after your endoscopy procedure. 

 

 

Before the exam, our staff will review the test including possible complications and will ask you to sign a consent form. The nurse will start an IV in your hand and your blood pressure and heart rate will be monitored during the endoscopy. 

 

You will then be given fluid and medicines through the IV, which will allow you to fall asleep. 

 

 

Once you are in the endoscopy suite, a fast acting sedative will be given through the IV and you will lie on your left side and a plastic mouth guard will be placed between your teeth to prevent damage to your teeth and scope. Once you are asleep, the endoscope (a flexible lighted tube that is smaller than a finger) will be passed through the mouth into the esophagus. Most people have no difficulty swallowing the endoscope as a result of the sedation and it does not interfere with breathing. During the exam, we may take tissue samples called biopsies (which are not painful) or we can perform other treatments such as dilation, or removal of polyps.

 

Although many people worry about being uncomfortable during an endoscopy, most people tolerate it very well and feel fine afterward. After the endoscopy, you will be observed in a recovery area until the effects of the sedative medication wear off. You may also feel slightly groggy from the sedation medications, and we encourage everyone to take it easy and relax the rest of the day. You should not return to work or drive the rest of the day. Most people eat normally after the exam, and our office will instruct you on when to restart any blood thinning medications. The results of the endoscopy will be discussed as soon as it is over. Any tissue samples will be sent to our pathologists and this will take 7 – 10 days to get those results. 

 

Upper endoscopy is one of the safest gastrointestinal procedures and complications are very uncommon. A few of the potential complications are below:

1. Bleeding, most commonly stops on its own and is minor

2. Reaction to the sedative medication

3. Aspiration (inhaling) of food or liquids into the lung

If you would like to request an appointment with Dr. FEUHOUO call his clinic at 01 60 42 99 94 or request an appointment online.