Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Indigestion, Acid Reflux, Heartburn - Having An Endoscopy Test

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Neil_Hawkes] Neil Hawkes Depending on vour symptoms, your GP may refer you to the hospital clinic for a full assessment or just for the endoscopy itself - a system known as 'fast track' or 'open access' endoscopy. The procedure is usually carried out in a specialised unit within a hospital and takes only a few minutes. Endoscopy departments are extraordinarily busy places, however, and the check in procedure before the test and booking out after the rest may take an hour each. It is usually best to set aside the whole morning or afternoon depending on the time of your appointment. Your stomach needs to be empty for a complete test and so, for a morning test, you will be told to eat or drink nothing after your evening meal on the previous day, and for an afternoon test you should eat nothing after a light breakfast. When you arrive at the department either a doctor or a nurse will initially direct you to a waiting area with other patients and then to an area where you can be clerked in. The purpose of this is to explain the test and to answer your questions, but also to make sure that your general health is good enough for you to undergo the procedure, although it is very rare for anyone to be considered too ill. You will also be asked to sign a consent form. When it is your turn you will then be directed to the endoscopy room itself.
It is easy to be daunted by the numerous racks of equipment and machines in the endoscopy suite, but each has his own job to do and is individually straightforward. The most important pieces are the endoscope itself and its accompanying operating equipment, a video screen where the pictures appear and a machine that measures your pulse and oxygen levels using a clip on your finger. This clever clip device works by shining a light through the soft tissue of your finger; changes in the amount of light absorbed show how 'red' your blood is and how much oxygen it is carrying. As well as the endoscopist, there will also be a nurse to look after you and another member of staff to assist the endoscopist. You will be asked to lie down on your left side and you will made comfortable. You may be given a sedative or have some throat spray depending on which you prefer. The nurse will then place the monitoring clip on your finger and may give you some oxygen (usually with a sponge tipped tube up your nose) before placing a small mouth guard between your teeth. This protects both your teeth from the endoscope and the endoscope from your teeth. When ready the endoscope is will place the tip of the endoscope over your tongue and into your throat. You will then be asked to swallow and, as you do so, the oesophagus will open up allowing the endoscope to pass down into your stomach. The nurse looking after you during the test will constantly remove saliva from your mouth with a sucker much like that used by dentists, and this helps to reduce the risk of you inhaling any fluid. You will be able to swallow with the tube in your throat, but fluid can collect in your mouth because the tube holds open the oesophagus, allowing liquid to reflux up from your stomach. Once the endoscope is in position, the test takes only a few minutes, during which time air is blown into the stomach so that a good view can be obtained. Depending on the findings, the endoscopist may take some biopsies (tissue samples), which are entirely painless. When the examination is complete the endoscope is withdrawn and you are taken back to the 'recovery' area. During the test the main symptoms that you can expect are pressure within the throat and occasionally some tummy discomfort and belching because of the air that is introduced. As the endoscope is passed into your throat you may retch once or twice, which is a normal reaction and usually minor. Once you have completely recovered after the test you can go home. Is endoscopy safe? Endoscopy departments are very busy places and thus every member of staff that you meet will be an expert with a lot of experience. Endoscopy is an extremely safe procedure, and serious complications related to a simple diagnostic test are virtually unheard of. Very rarely, however, the oesophagus may tear as the endoscope is being inserted, but this complication usually only happens in patients who have previously undiagnosed abnormalities of the tipper oesophagus. In any case, the risk is probably less than one per 10,000 procedures. Other less serious complications relate to intravenous sedation: if liquid is inhaled it may cause a chest infection, but this is very rare during a simple diagnostic test and is more likely to occur ill frail and elderly people. [http://www.hiatalherniahelp.com] http://www.hiatalherniahelp.com is a website with information and recommendations for sufferers of hiatal hernia and related symptoms. Visit this [http://www.hiatalherniahelp.com/articles/] hiatal hernia articles page for more information. Article Source: [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Neil_Hawkes ] http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neil_Hawkes [http://ezinearticles.com/?Indigestion,-Acid-Reflux,-Heartburn---Having-An-Endoscopy-Test&id=483009 ] http://EzineArticles.com/?Indigestion,-Acid-Reflux,-Heartburn---Having-An-Endoscopy-Test&id=483009 order pharmacy tramadol
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