Evaluation of Sedation and Monitoring for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy among Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Practitioners in Nigeria

Background: Several guidelines have been developed for the practice of gastrointestinal endoscopy. The rationale for sedation in gastrointestinal endoscopy is the alleviation of pain/discomfort and anxiety experienced by patients during the procedure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of sedation for gastrointestinal endoscopy among practitioners of gastrointestinal endoscopy at a conference in Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among gastrointestinal endoscopy practitioners. The study setting was the 13th annual general meeting and scientific conference of the Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria (SOGHIN) that held in Port Harcourt Nigeria from 26th to 30th of July 2021.

Results: A total of one hundred and four (104) respondents participated in the study. Fifty-two (50.0%) respondents carried out ≥15 upper gastrointestinal endoscopies per month in their centre. It was the opinion of 36 (34.6%) respondents that ≥15 lower gastrointestinal endoscopies per month were being done in their centre. Twenty-six (25%) respondents used the drug midazolam for sedating patients for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and another 26 (25%) use diazepam and pentazocine. Under-sedation was a problem for 44 (42.3%) respondents occasionally led to aborting the procedure. There was significant relationship between achievement of ≥ 90% sedation

adequacy and the type of personnel administering the drug (P=0.000).

Conclusion: Although better sedation has been reported to be achieved with the use of midazolam, there was no uniformity in the practice of sedation for gastrointestinal endoscopy among the respondents.