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Topical pharyngeal anesthesia without intravenous sedation during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy
V Dhir1, V S Swaroop, K F Vazifdar
1Division of Medical Gastroenterology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.
Background:
There have been conflicting reports about the usefulness of topical pharyngeal anesthesia as a pre-endoscopic medication.
Aims:
To assess the effect of topical pharyngeal anesthesia without intravenous sedatives on easing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.
Methods:
153 consecutive consenting patients were randomized to receive either placebo (normal saline) spray (78 patients) or 80 mg of 4% lidocaine spray (75 patients). Difficulty of intubation was judged both by the patient and the physician on a linear analogue scale.
Results:
There was no significant difference in the scores in the two groups (p > 0.05). The patient and physician assessments correlated well.
Conclusions:
Topical lignocaine spray does not facilitate upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in the absence of intravenous sedation.