Complications of esophagogastroduodenoscopy

Currently open-access endoscopy and increasing attention to upper gut disease have dramatically increased the number of patients referred for endoscopy. Although there is a paucity of controlled data available, there are some reports of complications associated with upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, including those associated with sedation and topical anesthetics, cardiovascular complications, infections related to contaminated equipment or transmission of microorganisms from the gut to the bloodstream or other organs and prostheses, perforation, bleeding, and complications associated with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, including endoscope entrapment and aspiration. Generally, most complications of upper endoscopy are related to sedation in diagnostic endoscopy and perforation or bleeding, associated with therapeutic upper endoscopy. This chapter will focus on the adverse events associated with standard upper endoscopy, with an emphasis on the immediate recognition of complications and adverse events.