Quality of bowel cleansing in hospitalized patients undergoing colonoscopy: A multicentre prospective regional study

Abstract

Background: Quality of bowel cleansing in hospitalized patients undergoing colonoscopy is often unsatisfactory. No study has investigated the inpatient or outpatient setting as cause of inadequate cleansing.

Aims: To assess degree of bowel cleansing in inpatients and outpatients and to identify possible predictors of poor bowel preparation in the two populations.

Methods: Prospective multicentre study on consecutive colonoscopies in 25 regional endoscopy units. Univariate and multivariate analysis with odds ratio estimation were performed.

Results: Data from 3276 colonoscopies were analyzed (2178 outpatients, 1098 inpatients). Incomplete colonoscopy due to inadequate cleansing was recorded in 369 patients (11.2%). There was no significant difference in bowel cleansing rates between in- and outpatients in both colonic segments. In the overall population, independent predictors of inadequate cleansing both at the level of right and left colon were: male gender (odds ratio, 1.20 [1.02-1.43] and 1.27 [1.05-1.53]), diabetes mellitus (odds ratio, 2.35 [1.68-3.29] and 2.12 [1.47-3.05]), chronic constipation (odds ratio, 1.60 [1.30-1.97] and 1.55 [1.23-1.94]), incomplete purge intake (odds ratio, 2.36 [1.90-2.94] and 2.11 [1.68-2.65]) and a runway time >12h (odds ratio, 3.36 [2.40-4.72] and 2.53 [1.74-3.67]).

Conclusions: We found no difference in the rate of inadequate bowel preparation between hospitalized patients and outpatients.

Keywords: Bowel preparation; Cleansing; Colonoscopy; Hospitalized patients; Outpatients.