Open-access upper endoscopy service at prince rashid bin al-hasan hospital is safe, effective and widely advocated

Abstract EN

Objective: To evaluate the safety, benefits, and the spectrum of upper gastrointestinal diseases among patients who underwent diagnostic upper endoscopy at an open-access service related to the Royal Medical Services.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the endoscopy records for patients who underwent elective upper endoscopy over 6-years period 2001-2006 at Prince Rashid Bin Al-Hassan Hospital in the north of Jordan was conducted.

Emergency endoscopies were excluded from the study.

All endoscopies were performed under local anesthesia using pharyngeal Lignocaine spray.

Data collected included the number of patients, waiting time, reasons for performing the procedure, endoscopic findings, and any complication related to the age gender.

Results: Three thousand six-hundred seventy nine endoscopies were included in the study.

Sixty-two percent of patients were aged less than 45 years.

Ninety-four percent of the endoscopies were performed for patients referred from physicians as outpatients and 6% for patients who were already in the hospital.

The number of endoscopies performed during the period 2005-2006 was considerably higher (51%) than that performed during the periods 2001-2002 (24%) and 2003-2004 (25%).

The main indications for upper endoscopy were epigastric pain (59%), and heartburn (16%).

Normal endoscopy was reported in 61% of the patients.

The most common single abnormal findings were duodenal erosions (42%), gastric erosions (29%), hiatus hernia (21%), and esophagitis (18%).

Gastric cancer was detected in 29 patients (2%), and esophageal cancer in nine cases (0.6%).

About one third of the patients had more than one abnormal endoscopic finding.

None of the patients had any major complication related to the procedure.

Conclusions: Open-access upper endoscopy service is safe and effective in establishing fast definitive diagnosis, and elevates the need for subsequent consultations with other physicians and referral to gastroenterology clinic.