Enteral nutrition before bowel preparation improves the safety of colonoscopy in the elderly

Adverse events during colonoscopy are more likely to occur in elderly. To avoid the adverse events without decreasing the bowel cleanliness is still an unsolved problem. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of enteral nutrition before colonoscopy in a randomized controlled trail.

A total of 108 patients over sixty-five years of age and indicated for colonoscopy were randomized into four groups. Group 1 received a solution of two packages of polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder dissolved in 2000 mL water. Group 2 received 500 mL of enteral nutrition plus polyethylene glycol of the same dosage as in group 1. Group 3 received 200 mL of 25% magnesium sulfate solution. Group 4 received 500 mL of enteral nutrition plus 25% magnesium sulfate solution of the same dosage as in group 3. The intestinal cleaning and various physiological indications were measured before, after bowel preparation, and during colonoscopy.

No significant difference in the quality of colon cleansing was found among the four groups. The incidence of adverse effects in groups 2 and 4 was less than in groups 1 and 3.

Additional enteral nutrition in elderly patients before bowel preparation did not affect the quality of colon cleansing. However, the process can significantly reduce the incidence of adverse effects.