What Is an Endoscopy?
3. Medications for procedure
Sometimes, during an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, a topical anesthetic can be applied to the throat of the patient. Also, a sedative is often administered by intravenous injection right before the procedure begins. Note that the patient is sedated, but still conscious. Sedatives used in endoscopy have many advantages, including safety and effectiveness.
They decrease the patient’s anxiety towards the procedure and reduce gagging during the introduction of the endoscope. However, some disadvantages of the use of these medications include the need for a period of recovery after their administration (usually an hour) and rare adverse reactions to the drugs. Moreover, most procedures will usually take between 15 and 45 minutes. In most cases, the patient will be able to return home on the same day the procedure is performed.
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