Hypercalcemia: a risk factor to patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy

Hypercalcemia may be associated with neoplastic disease, either as an epiphenomenon resulting from tumor-produced humoral substances or as a direct consequence of bone involvement. Endoscopic procedures are occasionally performed in this group of patients for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This report reviews the interaction of hypercalcemia and sedative hypnotic drugs and suggests that hypercalcemia might be a risk factor for those patients undergoing endoscopy.