Pan-enteric capsule for bleeding high-risk patients. Can we limit endoscopies?

Abstract

Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding is defined as bleeding from a source that cannot be identified on upper or lower gastrointestinal endoscopy, being capsule endoscopy the next step in those patients. Some patients may be unsuitable for conventional endoscopy and performing a capsule pan-endoscopic test as a first line procedure might potentially reduce the number of endoscopies and their subsequent risk.

The aim of our study was to analyse our experience with capsule endoscopy in the bleeding patient setting. We retrospectively reviewed the first 100 pan-endoscopic capsule procedures performed in our centre from August 2011 until December 2016. 61.2% of our patients had positive findings; 46.26% had a previous negative gastroscopy and in 67.7% of them the capsule detected small bowel lesions and in 80.64%, colonic findings.

Taking into consideration that our population were high-risk patients (mainly because of comorbidities), and that we use up to 45 ml of sodium phosphate, we analysed sodium, potassium and creatinine changes before and after procedure. The mean "before" values were respectively 140.68, 4.04 and 1.36.

The mean "after" values were 140.28, 3.9 and 1.35 (p=n.s) According to our findings in 64.5% of patients with negative gastroscopy no other endoscopic studies would be needed. According to capsule results, in all our study sample, in 68.6% of cases conventional endoscopy could have been avoided.

Panendoscopy with capsule may be useful and safe in bleeding high-risk patients, by selecting the patients who need therapeutic endoscopy, avoiding up to 68.6% of diagnostic endoscopies in our series.

CITA DEL ARTÍCULO  Rev Esp Enferm Dig. 2021 Aug;113(8):580-584.  doi: 10.17235/reed.2020.7196/2020.