Less tachycardia during transnasal versus conventional gastroscopy

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Endoscopy
• Cardiopulmonary Physiology

Background:

• Transnasal endoscopy is generally well-tolerated.
• Previous studies have not detailed the physiological benefits of transnasal endoscopy compared to conventional gastroscopy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate cardiopulmonary features, patient tolerance, and endoscopist assessment of transnasal versus conventional endoscopy.
• To compare physiological stress responses between the two endoscopic approaches.

Main Methods:

• A randomized study comparing transoral (50 patients) and transnasal (48 patients) endoscopy.
• Monitoring of pulse rate, oxygen saturation, patient tolerance, and endoscopist evaluation.

Main Results:

• Transnasal gastroscopy had a 77% success rate, limited by nasal stenosis.
• Lower per- and post-procedure pulse rates were observed in the transnasal group (p = 0.04, p = 0.02).
• Similar procedural discomfort but significantly less gagging (p < 0.01) in the transnasal group.

Conclusions:

• Transnasal gastroscopy was technically inferior to conventional methods.
• No significant patient comfort benefits were found, except for reduced gagging.
• Lower pulse rates suggest a reduced stress response, though clinical relevance requires further investigation.