Endo Colonos
Endo Colonos
Endo Colonos
Endoscopy Department
Colonoscopy
Important information
Before your appointment
Please follow the enclosed bowel preparation instructions carefully. Your bowel
On the day
Drink as much fluid as you can, even on the day of the procedure.
If you have an afternoon appointment please remember to take the rest of the
bowel preparation first thing in the morning.
Please ensure you are accompanied. We cannot sedate you if you come to the
department alone.
At the hospital
Please come to the endoscopy Department on level 3 of the Addenbrookes
Colonoscopy
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Patient Information
Alert for endoscopy patients on
Warfarin or Clopidogrel or other anticoagulant
medication
You must read this guidance before your procedure.
If you have any questions or do not know whether to stop your medication
before your endoscopy please phone 01223 216515
Warfarin: for patients advised to continue medication
You should have an INR test seven days before the endoscopy.
If that INR result is 3.0 or less, continue with your usual daily Warfarin dose.
If that INR result is more than 3.0, ask your supervising anticoagulant
service for advice to reduce your daily Warfarin dose so that your INR is 3.0
or less when you have the endoscopy.
After the Endoscopy go back to your usual daily dose as soon as you are eating
again (that will usually be the same evening).
You should have your INR checked one week later to ensure you are adequately
anticoagulated again.
If you have:
Colonoscopy
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Patient Information
What is a colonoscopy?
Your doctor has requested this procedure to help investigate and manage your
medical condition.
Colonoscopy is an examination of the colon, also called the large bowel or intestine.
The last part of the colon leads into the rectum where faeces (stools) are stored
before passing out of the anus (back passage).
The procedure involves passing a narrow
flexible instrument through the anus into the
colon to examine the colon lining. This
allows us to see if there are any problems
such as inflammation or polyps (a polyp is a
bit like a wart). The procedure usually takes
thirty minutes but times vary considerably.
If it takes longer, please do not worry.
Sometimes it is helpful for diagnosis to take
a sample (biopsy) of the lining of the bowel.
A small instrument, called forceps, passes
through the colonoscope to pinch out a tiny
bit of the lining (about the size of a
pinhead). This sample is sent to the laboratory for analysis. It is also possible to
remove polyps in a similar way. Most people find this completely painless.
Colonoscopy
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Patient Information
You must arrange for a responsible adult to come with you and wait to take you
home. You will not be able to drive yourself. If you come without an escort, we
will have to cancel the procedure. If you are entitled to use hospital transport,
an escort is not required.
Additional information for people with a colostomy
If you have a colostomy, you may find the bowel preparation easier to manage if you
use a drainable colostomy bag. These can be obtained by contacting the stoma care
nurses on 01223 216505. If you have had a colostomy you may be able to have the
procedure without sedation and hence will not need an escort. However, if you wish to
have a sedative, you must be accompanied.
Potential risks
Taking the bowel preparation might prevent the absorption of the oral contraceptive
pill. Additional contraceptive precautions should be taken until the next period begins.
Colonoscopy procedures carry a small risk (one in 1000 cases) of bleeding or
perforation (tear) to the bowel. These are more likely to occur after the removal of a
polyp. On very rare occasions, this may require an operation which may involve
making a temporary opening (called a stoma) in the abdomen to allow the passage of
waste (faeces).
Colonoscopy
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Patient Information
Removing a polyp can sometimes cause bleeding although this is usually stopped
during the procedure. Occasionally bleeding may occur when a patient has gone home
and, even more rarely, some of these people may need a blood transfusion. Another
rare complication is an adverse reaction to the intravenous sedative and pain relief
medication.
Like all tests, this procedure will not always show up all abnormalities and, on very
rare occasions, a significant abnormality may not be identified. If you have any
questions about this please ask either at the time of the procedure or the person who
referred you.
Colonoscopy
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Patient Information
Alternatives:
In some cases, depending on individual factors such as the symptoms present and the
presenting condition, the alternative to a colonoscopy is a Computerised Tomography
(CT) colon scan.
Contact the endoscopy Office between 9:00 and 17:00 on 01223 257080.
See http://www.cuh.org.uk/consent
Colonoscopy
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Patient Information
Diabetic advice - morning appointment (before
13:00)
Please follow these instructions if your procedure is in the morning. For any diabetes
related questions during bowel preparation, please contact your GP or the diabetes
specialist nurses on 01223 245151 bleep 152078.
Food and drink
You should not eat anything on the day you take your bowel preparation and should
continue without food until after your procedure. However, you must drink as much as
possible during this time. Drink at least a glass full of clear fluids every hour during
your bowel preparation, so that you do not become dehydrated.
Make sure you have some sugary drinks available, for example lucozade 100ml, apple
or grape juice 200ml. Drink these if your blood sugar drops below 4. Ensure that
your bedtime blood sugar is at least 10
Test your blood sugar regularly throughout the day. Continue drinking on the day of
your procedure.
Insulin taken once daily
No change to insulin dose necessary
Insulin - taken twice daily
Day before procedure
take half your normal insulin both times you inject, with a sugary drink.
Day of procedure
do not take your normal morning insulin. Bring it with you plus something to eat
after your procedure take half your normal morning insulin with something to eat
take your normal evening insulin dose.
Insulin taken four times a day
Day before procedure
do not take any quick acting insulin.
take your normal bedtime insulin unless you take Insulatard or Humulin I. If so,
reduce these by half.
Day of procedure
do not take your normal morning insulin.
after your procedure take your normal short acting lunchtime insulin with food
take your normal evening and bedtime insulin doses.
Tablets for diabetes
Day before procedure
do not take any diabetic tablets.
Day of procedure
do not have your morning tablets. Restart tablets at the next dose after your
procedure.
Colonoscopy
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Patient Information
Diabetic advice - afternoon appointment
Please follow these instructions if your procedure is in the afternoon. For any
diabetes related questions during bowel preparation, please contact your GP or the
diabetes specialist nurse on 01223 245151 bleep 152078.
Food and drink
Day before procedure
Food: You may have breakfast and lunch. Do not have any further food until after the
procedure.
Drink: Drink as much as possible. Drink at least a full glass of clear fluids every hour
during bowel preparation to prevent dehydration. Make sure you have sugary drinks
available, e.g. lucozade (100ml), apple or grape juice (200ml). Drink these if your
blood sugar drops below 4. Ensure your bedtime blood sugar is at least 10.
Test your blood sugar regularly throughout the day.
On the day of the procedure
Food: do not eat until after your procedure.
Insulin and tablets
Insulin taken once daily
Patient Information
We are now a smoke-free site: smoking will not be allowed anywhere on the
hospital site.
For advice and support in quitting, contact your GP or the free NHS stop
smoking helpline on 0800 169 0 169.
Other formats:
If you would like this information in another language, large
print or audio, please ask the department where you are
being treated, to contact the patient information team:
[email protected].
Please note: We do not currently hold many leaflets in other languages; written
translation requests are funded and agreed by the department who has authored the
leaflet.
Document history
Authors
Department
Endoscopy Department
Contact number
Publish/Review date
File name
Version number/Ref
01223 216515
October 2015/October 2018
PIN654_endo_colonoscopy_v8.doc
9/PIN0654
Colonoscopy
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