Bleeding after colonoscopy is not uncommon

AORN Journal, March, 2007

Patients and physicians should consider the risks associated with colonoscopy as they compare the incremental benefits of the procedure to other, less-invasive screening tests, according to a Dec 18, 2006, news release from Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif. Colonoscopy is a screening test for colorectal cancer during which precancerous polyps can be removed and biopsies can be performed on tissue samples. The rate of complications after colonoscopy, even colonoscopy without biopsy, however, is higher than for other colorectal cancer screening tests (eg, flexible sigmoidoscopy).

Researchers worked with a large sample of community practice gastroenterologists to identify and collect data on patients undergoing colonoscopy. The researchers collected information on the patients for 30 days to track hospitalizations for procedure-related complications. Delayed bleeding after colonoscopy was not uncommon, and more than 60% of the bleeding incidents after polyp removal occurred in patients with polyps smaller than 1 cm, which are less likely to become cancerous.

Risks Associated with Colonoscopy Should Be Considered When Evaluating Benefit Over Less Invasive Screenings [news release]. Oakland, Calif: Kaiser Permanente; December 18, 2006. Available at: http://ckp.kp.org/newsroom /national/archive/nat_061218_colonoscopycomplications .html. Accessed January 8, 2007.