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- Page navigation anchor for RE: Propofol sedation and colonoscopy: An endoscopist’s perspectiveRE: Propofol sedation and colonoscopy: An endoscopist’s perspective
We read with interest Dr. Grocott’s (1) letter promoting the use of Propofol sedation during colonoscopy in response to our publication (2). Dr. Grocott expressed concerns about our commentary and felt it gave a “distorted picture of clinical reality”. The letter called many of our statements “unsubstantiated, speculative, and even contradictory”. We appreciate the opportunity to address these concerns.
It is apparent that Dr. Grocott’s perspective is limited by not being an endoscopist. In Canada and worldwide there is marked variation in colonoscopic technique among individual endoscopists leading to disparate outcomes in cecal intubation, adenoma detection, post colonoscopy colorectal cancer, patient satisfaction and the type and amount of sedation used. Training in modern colonoscopic techniques can improve the quality of colonoscopies while lowering the amount of conscious sedation required. To address this gap, The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG) has implemented programs to improve colonoscopy teaching to trainees and to improve the skills of colonoscopists in practice.
Dr. Grocott’s assertion that Propofol improves “efficiency” is debatable given that quicker patient recovery does not necessarily lead to improved efficiency. A recent Canadian study showed that the use of Propofol during colonoscopy resulted in prolongation of total procedure time by 3 minutes per case compared to traditional sedation (3). Over the course of a full day,...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.