Colonoscopy: why are general surgeons being excluded?

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Mehran, Amir Jaffe, P. Efron, Jonathan Zvi Vernava, Anthony M. Iii Liberman, Mark A.
Copyright Year	2003
Abstract	Background: The role of surgeons as endoscopists has been extensively debated in the literature, with conflicting studies published regarding the safety and efficacy of surgeons performing colonoscopies. A multitude of medical federations and societies have set various standards for granting endoscopy privileges, many with a bias against general surgeons [1, 3]. We reviewed the colonoscopy experience at our institution to evaluate differences between gastroenterologists (GI) and general (GS) and colorectal surgeons (CRS) in procedure times and complication and cecal intubation rates. Methods: Between January 2000 and July 2002, 5237 colonoscopies were performed at our institution. The data for procedure times, completion, and complication rates were collected in a prospective database. Complications were defined as perforation, bleeding, and postpolypectomy syndrome. Incomplete colonoscopies due to colitis, poor bowel preparation, or tumor obstruction were excluded. Chi-squared test was used to compare complication and cecal intubation rates between the three groups. Median procedure times were compared using the Kruskall-Wallis and Dunn’s pairwise tests. A significant p-value was defined as <0.05. Results: No differences in the complication rate was noted between the three groups: GI (0.12%), CRS (0.15%), and GS (0.11%) (p = 0.99). There was a trend toward a lower incomplete colonoscopy rate in the GS group compared to CRS and GI: 0.32% vs 0.84% and 0.36%, respectively (p = 0.07). The median colonoscopy times for GS (29 min), however, were shorter than for GI (34 min, p < 0.001) or CRS (31 min, p < 0.001). Conclusion: General surgeons perform colonoscopies expeditiously, with as low a morbidity rate and as high a completion rate as their gastroenterology or colorectal surgery colleagues. As the results of this study confirm, general surgeons should not be excluded from endoscopy suites.
Starting Page	1971
Ending Page	1973
Page Count	3
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
DOI	10.1007/s00464-003-8806-5
PubMed reference number	14569450
Journal	Medline
Volume Number	17
Alternate Webpage(s)	http://bariatricsurgerymd.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Colonoscopy-Why-Are-General-Surgeons-Being-Excluded.pdf
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-003-8806-5
Journal	Surgical Endoscopy And Other Interventional Techniques
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article