Hypoxemia during moderate sedation for gastrointestinal endoscopy: causes and associations.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although prolonged hypoxemia (henceforth referred to as hypoxemia) is not uncommon during moderate sedation for endoscopy, there are only sparse data regarding its relationship with medications, endoscopic intubations and ventilation patterns. We aimed to study these relationships. METHODS: 123 patients enrolled in the control arm of a randomized trial of ventilation monitoring during endoscopy were analyzed. Hypoxemia was defined as oxygen saturation of <90% for ≥15 s, and apnea as lack of respiratory activity for ≥15 s. RESULTS: There were 132 hypoxemic events; 46 (35%) and 112 (85%) events occurred within 1 and 5 min of medication administration/endoscopic intubations, and conversely, 46/638 (7%) and 112/638 (18%) of all medication administration/endoscopic intubations led to hypoxemia in 1 and 5 min, respectively. Apnea, abnormal ventilation and normal ventilation were associated with 36, 30 and 34% of all hypoxemia events, respectively. However, only 101/268 (38%) apnea/abnormal ventilation events led to hypoxemia. Significant predictors of apnea were total dose of meperidine/fentanyl 1.3 (1.02-1.6) and total dose of midazolam 0.84 (0.71-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Hypoxemia occurs typically within 5 min of medication administration or endoscope intubation and only one third of all apnea/abnormal ventilation events eventually lead to hypoxemia.

Risk factors for hypoxemia during ambulatory gastrointestinal endoscopy in ASA I-II patients.

BACKGROUND: Most studies identify the American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) classification as the most significant risk factor for hypoxemia. The risk factors operative within ASA I and II patients are not well defined. Therefore, we analyzed prospectively collected data to identify the risk factors of hypoxemia in such patients. METHODS: A combination of a narcotic and benzodiazepine was used for sedation and oxygen was supplemented if hypoxemia (oxygen saturation or= 60 years 4.5 (1.4-14.3) P=0.01, and incremental 25-mg doses of meperidine 2.6 (1.02-6.6) P = 0.04. Body mass index (BMI) significantly correlated with the number of hypoxemic episodes (rho 0.26, 95% CI 0.04-0.48, P=0.02). CONCLUSION: In ASA I and II patients, BMI significantly correlated with the number of hypoxemic episodes, whereas age >or= 60 years and meperidine dose were significant risk factors for hypoxemia.

Approaches to the prevention and management of radiation colitis.

Radiation colitis refers to the characteristic changes in the mucosa of the colon and rectum secondary to pelvic radiation. Based on the interval from radiation to mucosal changes or symptoms, there are two well-defined forms of radiation colitis: acute, manifested by mucosal sloughing causing diarrhea, mucus discharge, and tenesmus; and chronic, characterized by obstructed defecation or ischemia of the mucosa due to obliterative endarteritis and resulting in mucosal telangiectasias, mucosal pallor, and friability causing rectal bleeding. Up to 25% of all patients receiving pelvic radiation develop mild symptoms, and 2% to 3% develop moderate to severe symptoms. Radiation colitis can be difficult to treat in some patients. There are several options for treating its symptoms. Argon plasma coagulation is the most common method of treating telangiectasias. Topical formaldehyde has also been used for distal telangiectasias. Obstructed defecation caused by radiation strictures (which are very fibrotic) usually can be treated successfully with stool softeners, colonic dilation, or steroid injection. Surgery should be avoided if possible because of its technical difficulty and the high incidence of postoperative complications such as anastomotic leak and fistula formation. New advances in radiation delivery techniques (eg, intensity-modulated radiation therapy) using specialized computer algorithms and medications such as amifostine may decrease the incidence of radiation colitis.

Severe complications of inflammatory bowel disease.

Patients who have inflammatory bowel disease occasionally develop severe complications or emergency situations that require expert and expedited medical care, including toxic colitis, fistulas, abdominal abscesses, malignancy, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and pouchitis. Morbidity and mortality rates of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are increased over the expected rates in the unaffected population. Knowledge of the presenting features, natural history, and treatment of these complications should to lead to early and effective therapy and better outcomes.

Bispectral index monitoring of conscious sedation with the combination of meperidine and midazolam during endoscopy.

UNLABELLED: background & aims: Current practice guidelines strongly recommend differentiation of deep from moderate sedation during endoscopy. Standard methods of sedation monitoring are labor-intense. Bispectral index monitoring (BIS) is widely used during anesthesia, but its benefits during conscious sedation are controversial. Thus, we performed a prospective observational study to assess its ability for detecting deep sedation during endoscopy. METHODS: Patients presenting for elective outpatient endoscopy were monitored simultaneously with the Modified Observer's Assessment of Alertness and Sedation (MOAA/S) and BIS. A combination of a narcotic and benzodiazepine was used, with the target being moderate sedation and analgesia. Deep sedation was defined by MOAA/S score of 1-2 and BIS score of

Endoscopic clips for closing esophageal perforations: case report and pooled analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acute and chronic esophageal perforations have traditionally been treated with surgery or a conservative approach. Recently, endoscopic repair has been reported in some case reports. OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of a chronic esophagoperitoneal fistula successfully closed by endoscopic clips after several failed reoperations and stent placement. To perform a pooled analysis of the reports describing such closures. DESIGN: Case report and pooled analysis. SETTING: Tertiary-care hospitals. PATIENTS: Our patient presented with mature perforation in the distal esophagus caused by laparoscopic band gastroplasty. Patients for pooled analysis identified by a MEDLINE search (1966 to January 2007) performed for all the English language articles that reported esophageal perforation/fistulae and endoscopic clips. INTERVENTIONS: Endoscopic clip application after ablation of epithelialized edges in our patient. Pooled analyses for demographic and perforation variables, along with predictors for closure time after clipping, were performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Closure of esophageal perforations. RESULTS: The fistula in our patient closed in 3 weeks after endoscopic clipping. The literature review identified a total of 11 articles that describe 17 patients (acute 7, intermediate 4, and chronic 6). The most common cause was iatrogenic (65%), and the size of the perforation ranged from 3 to 25 mm. The median healing time after clipping was 18 days (interquartile range 6-26). Both univariable and multivariable analyses identified only the duration of perforation as a significant predictor of closure time, P values .003 and .02, respectively. LIMITATIONS: Small sample size, nonrandomized sample. CONCLUSIONS: Endoclips may be effective for closing both acute and chronic esophageal perforations. The duration of the perforation is a significant factor for predicting closure time.

Laryngeal cancer and gastroesophageal reflux disease: a case-control study.

PURPOSE: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is common in patients with laryngeal cancer. However, the role of GERD in laryngeal cancer remains controversial because of poor matching and selection of inappropriate control groups in prior studies. We aimed to better understand this relationship by conducting a matched case-control study. METHODS: This study was based in a single tertiary care center over a 2-year period. Cases included all patients with a diagnosis of new laryngeal cancer presenting to the otolaryngology clinics. Two controls, derived from the internal medicine clinics, were matched to the cases on an individual basis for age (within 1 year), gender, ethnicity, and time of first visit to the institution (within 1 month). Data were extracted by chart review. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between laryngeal cancer and GERD, tobacco, and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: A total of 96 cases were matched to 192 controls. On univariable analysis, the significant risk factors were current smoking, odds ratio (OR) 5.46 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.59-11.50); alcohol, OR 1.97 (CI, 1.19-3.26); and GERD, OR 1.79 (CI, 1.03-3.11). On multivariable analysis, only smoking and GERD continued to be significantly associated with laryngeal cancer, OR 6.08 (CI, 2.82-13.10) and OR 2.11 (CI, 1.16-3.85), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking and GERD are significant risk factors for laryngeal cancer and may have an independent incremental risk for laryngeal carcinogenesis.

Surgical fundoplication in laryngopharyngeal reflux unresponsive to aggressive acid suppression: a controlled study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: In patients with persistent laryngeal symptoms despite aggressive proton pump inhibitor therapy, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) continues to be implicated. The role of surgical fundoplication as the definitive therapy for these patients is uncertain. METHODS: In this prospective concurrent controlled study, 72 patients with suspected GERD-related laryngeal symptoms received aggressive acid-suppressive therapy. Four-month symptomatic nonresponders (<50% improvement) with continued laryngeal inflammation and normalized esophageal acid exposure were offered laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. The primary outcome was symptom improvement/resolution at 1 year after surgery. RESULTS: Twenty-five of 72 (35%) patients remained unresponsive after 4 months of acid-suppressive therapy. Ten patients (40%) underwent surgical fundoplication (median age, 54 y; men, 4) and 15 patients (60%) continued medical therapy (median age, 52; men, 4). The most common laryngeal symptoms were sore throat, hoarseness, and cough. pH studies at 3 and 12 months were normal in all patients after fundoplication (median % time pH < 4, .0% and .3%; respectively). One of 10 (10%) patients in the surgery group reported improvement of laryngeal symptoms at 1 year compared with 1 of 15 in the control group (6.7%) (P = 1.0). Treatment of causes other than GERD improved symptoms in an additional 2 of 10 (20%) patients in the surgical group, and 10 of 15 (66%) patients in the nonsurgical cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical fundoplication does not improve laryngeal symptoms reliably in patients unresponsive to aggressive proton pump inhibitor therapy. The argument of low volume or intermittent reflux as the cause of persistent laryngeal symptoms needs to be replaced with evaluation and therapy for other potential non-GERD causes.

Gastroesophageal reflux and laryngeal cancer: causation or association? A critical review.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease has been implicated as a causative factor in several laryngeal disorders. Its involvement in laryngeal cancer is of interest not only from a clinicopathologic aspect, but also from a public health perspective. However, despite a number of studies, a causal relationship with laryngeal cancer is uncertain. In this article, we address the current literature in a critical manner to facilitate the understanding of this subject and evaluate the relationship between gastroesophageal reflux disease and laryngeal carcinoma.

Hospital-acquired gastrointestinal bleeding outside the critical care unit: risk factors, role of acid suppression, and endoscopy findings.

BACKGROUND: Risk factors for hospital-acquired gastrointestinal bleeding in the intensive care unit are established, and acid-suppressive prophylaxis has been advocated for certain subsets of critically ill patients. In contrast, risk factors and appropriate prevention strategies are not yet established for general medical patients. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for nosocomial gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in non-critically ill medical patients, to evaluate the utility of prophylactic gastric acid suppression, and to characterize the endoscopic lesions. METHODS: This was a retrospective case-control study that took place at a U.S. tertiary care center. All patients admitted to the General Medicine ward for nongastrointestinal disorders who developed clinically relevant gastrointestinal bleeding during admission or within 4 weeks of discharge were considered cases. Clinically relevant bleeding was defined as any bleeding requiring esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Random controls were matched to cases by date of hospitalization in a 1:1 ratio. Clinical information was extracted by chart review. RESULTS: Of 17,707 patients admitted to the General Medicine ward over a 4-year period, 73 (0.41%) met the case definition. The main risk factor for nosocomial GIB was treatment with full dose anticoagulants or clopidogrel (OR = 5.4; 2.6-11.7; P < .0001). Use of aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and glucocorticoids did not differ significantly between cases and controls. De novo acid-suppressive prophylaxis was not protective (OR = 1.0; 95% CI: 0.4-2.4; P = 0.97). Endoscopic abnormalities were noted in 74% of patients; many cases had lesions unlikely to be prevented by acid blockade. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital-acquired gastrointestinal bleeding is uncommon in non-critically ill patients. Anticoagulation appears to be the most important risk factor for nosocomial GIB. Routine use of acid suppressant medications for prophylaxis is unnecessary in most hospitalized patients.

Correlation between symptoms and laryngeal signs in laryngopharyngeal reflux.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is diagnosed by the presence of laryngeal signs and symptoms. Some studies have noted that signs and symptoms may be nonspecific and may have poor correlation. However, many such studies were either observational or had short-term follow-up. Therefore, we conducted subgroup analysis of a prospective concurrent controlled study with a 1 year follow-up to study the correlation between signs and symptoms. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study. METHODS: Seventy-two patients with suspected gastroesophageal reflux disease related laryngeal symptoms/signs received a 4 month trial of aggressive acid-suppressive therapy. Four month symptomatic nonresponders (<50% improvement) with continued laryngeal inflammation and normalized esophageal acid exposure were then offered laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. The primary outcome was laryngeal symptom-sign correlation at 1 year postsurgery. RESULTS: Twenty-five of 72 (35%) patients remained unresponsive after 4 months of aggressive acid suppressive therapy. Ten (40%) patients agreed to undergo surgical fundoplication (mean age = 50, male = 4). The most common laryngeal symptoms were sore throat (40%), hoarseness (30%), and cough (20%), whereas the most common signs were medial arytenoid wall erythema/edema (60%), interarytenoid erythema (50%), and arytenoid complex erythema/edema (50%). At 1 year postfundoplication, laryngeal symptoms improved in only 1 of 10 (10%) patient, whereas signs improved in 8 of 10 (80%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be poor correlation between signs and symptoms of LPR, particularly when monitoring therapeutic outcomes. In patients unresponsive to twice-daily proton-pump inhibitor therapy for 4 months, further aggressive therapy is unlikely to bring additional symptomatic benefit.

Propofol versus traditional sedative agents for gastrointestinal endoscopy: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Even though propofol has better recovery profile than traditional agents, its use is limited because of the perception of increased complication rates. Because an adequately powered trial comparing risk of propofol with traditional agents is lacking, we performed a meta-analysis of the current literature. METHODS: We searched Medline (1966-October 2004), EMBASE (1980-October 2004), and Cochrane controlled trials registry. The following 4 cardiopulmonary complications were assessed: hypoxia, hypotension, arrhythmias, and apnea. Procedures were divided into 3 groups: esophagogastroduodenoscopy group, colonoscopy group, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography/endoscopic ultrasonography group. Pooled odds ratios for complications were calculated for all the procedures combined and then separately for the 3 groups. Random effects models were used for 2-proportion comparisons. RESULTS: Of the 90 citations identified, 12 original studies qualified for this meta-analysis and included 1161 patients. Of these, 634 received propofol, and 527 received midazolam, meperidine, and/or fentanyl. Most of the included studies were randomized trials of moderate quality and nonsignificant heterogeneity (Cochran Q = 4.81, P = .90). Compared with traditional sedative agents, the pooled odds ratio with the use of propofol for developing hypoxia or hypotension for all the procedures combined was 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44-1.24); for EGD, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.33-2.17); for colonoscopy, 0.4 (95% CI, 0.2-0.79); and for ERCP/EUS, 1.07 (95% CI, 0.38-3.01). CONCLUSIONS: Propofol sedation during colonoscopy appears to have lower odds of cardiopulmonary complications compared with traditional agents, but for other procedures, the risk of complications is similar.

Does acid suppressive therapy reduce the risk of laryngeal cancer recurrence?

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is implicated in laryngeal cancer pathogenesis and recurrence posttherapy. There are currently limited data on the effect of acid suppressive therapy in decreasing the recurrence of laryngeal cancer. Therefore, we conducted this study to identify potential effect of GERD and acid suppressive therapy on recurrences after larynx-preserving therapies. STUDY DESIGN: Case control study. METHODS: Cases and controls, derived from a single tertiary care center, were patients who had newly diagnosed localized laryngeal cancer (T3 or less and absence of nodes) and having undergone larynx-preserving surgery or radiotherapy/chemotherapy were followed between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2003. Univariable associations were performed for demographics, smoking and alcohol patterns, stage of tumor, initial treatment, surgeon of record, presence of GERD, and the use of acid suppressive medications. Multivariable associations were performed for clinically significant variables. RESULTS: Of 258 patients with laryngeal cancer, 61 satisfied the selection criteria. Twenty-two of 61 (36%) developed recurrence and constituted cases, whereas 39/61 (64%) did not have recurrence and constituted controls. On univariable analysis, significant factors for decreased recurrences were GERD, hazard ratio 0.24 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.08-0.71), and acid suppressive therapy, hazards 0.22 (95% CI 0.07-0.66). On multivariable analysis, laryngeal cancer recurrence was significantly less in those on acid suppressive therapy, hazard 0.31 (95% CI 0.13-0.75). CONCLUSIONS: Acid suppression postlaryngeal cancer therapies may have protective effect on laryngeal cancer recurrences. A prospective study is needed to better define this perceived beneficial effect.

Low-molecular-weight-heparins as periprocedural anticoagulation for patients on long-term warfarin therapy: a standardized bridging therapy protocol.

BACKGROUND: Over 2 million patients in North America are on warfarin anticoagulation therapy for prevention of thromboembolism. Suspension of warfarin therapy is often required to prepare patients for invasive procedures or surgeries. To protect these patients against thromboembolism while they are off warfarin, shorter-acting parenteral agents such as low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) are often used. We conducted a retrospective observational study of our anticoagulation clinic patients to assess the safety and efficacy of LMWHs using a standardized protocol for periprocedural anticoagulation therapy. METHODS: We included 69 consecutive patients who required interruption of their long-term warfarin therapy between August 2001 and August 2002, and were deemed by the treating physician to be at high enough risk for perioperative thromboembolism to justify bridging anticoagulation. We used a standard bridging therapy protocol in our anticoagulation clinic. Sixty-six patients received enoxaparin and three patients received tinzaparin for a mean duration of 7.7 days postoperatively. Outcomes were assessed for 30 days post-procedure. Safety outcomes included major bleeding and minor bleeding. Efficacy outcomes included thromboembolic event or death. RESULTS: There were two major bleeding events, one minor bleeding event, and no cases of thromboembolism. Twelve patients experienced some bruising around the injection site. CONCLUSIONS: LMWH administration using our standard outpatient bridging protocol for perioperative anticoagulation appears to be relatively safe and efficacious, offering an alternative to inpatient administration of intravenous unfractionated heparin (UFH). Our study provides additional evidence to the limited published observational data regarding the safety and efficacy of LMWH as bridging therapy in the perioperative and periprocedural setting. Large, multicenter, randomized controlled trials are necessary to fully assess the safety and efficacy of LMWH for perioperative anticoagulation.We conducted a retrospective observational study of 69 consecutive anticoagulation clinic patients on warfarin between August 2001 and August 2002, who were undergoing a procedure or surgery. The study was done to assess the safety and efficacy of an outpatient LMWH bridging protocol. Sixty-six patients received enoxaparin and three patients received tinzaparin for a mean duration of 3 days preoperatively and 7.7 days postoperatively. Outcomes were assessed for 30 days post-procedure. Safety outcomes included major bleeding and minor bleeding. Efficacy outcomes included thromboembolic event or death. There were two major bleeding events, one minor bleeding event, and no cases of thromboembolism. Twelve patients experienced some bruising around the injection site.

Is GERD a risk factor for laryngeal cancer?

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: The significance of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in laryngeal cancer is controversial due to disparate studies. To evaluate the overall strength of the association of GERD with laryngeal cancer, we performed meta-analysis of the original studies in literature. STUDY DESIGN: Meta-analysis. METHODS: All studies cited on Ovid Medline (1966-June 2004), EMBASE (1980-June 2004), and Cochrane database describing GERD and laryngeal cancer were eligible for inclusion. The inclusion criteria for the study included original controlled study design and a clear documentation of the reflux prevalence in cases and controls. Statistical analysis was performed by NCSS software. RESULTS: Fifteen original studies were identified. Eight studies did not have control groups, two studies did not clearly document GERD prevalence in controls, and two studies were published using the same data, one of which was included in this meta-analysis. Thus, four studies qualified for inclusion for the meta-analysis. The methodologic quality in the studies was heterogeneous, not only in the evaluation of confounding risk factors such as smoking and alcohol but also in the mode of GERD diagnosis. There was also significant heterogeneity of effect of reflux among the studies (P = .001). The pooled odds ratio on the basis of fixed-effects model was 2.86 (95% CI, 2.73-2.99), and on the basis of random-effects model was 2.37 (95% CI 1.38-4.08). CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis suggests that GERD may be a significant risk factor for laryngeal cancer. However, given the heterogeneity of the published data, future prospective controlled studies are needed.