Comparison of Efficacy of Anesthesia Administered by Endoscopist or Anesthesiologist on Colonoscopy

Gastrointestinal endoscopes are an invasive and unpleasant procedure that is increasingly being performed worldwide (1). Colonoscopy; is one of the endoscopic procedures that can be used to diagnose and treat large intestine and cause pain and excessive discomfort in the patient (2). For this reason, intravenous (iv) sedative agents are used in endoscopy centers where endoscopy will be performed. However, side effects such as hypoxia and hypotension, which are usually dose-dependent, caused by these sedative agents, play an important role among risk factors associated with colonoscopy (3). For this reason, the use of propofol as an anesthetic is prohibited in some countries, which is a commonly used agent for sedation. However, the presence of an anesthetist during each endoscopy procedure is difficult because there are not enough anesthetists. This application is also more costly. For this reason, studies have been carried out during the gastrointestinal endoscopy when sedation is delivered by someone other than the anesthetist (4). For this purpose, several studies comparing patient-controlled sedation or sedation applied by an endoscopist to sedation performed by anesthesiologist were performed (4, 5). Investigators aimed to investigate whether there is any difference between the two groups in terms of pain levels assessed by VAS (Visuel analog scale) and patient satisfaction by comparing sedation protocols applied by endoscopist or anesthesist during colonoscopy in this study.