What should the elderly pay attention to when doing colonoscopy

In Chinese tradition, the elderly are the "treasures of the family" and their children will feel at ease only when the elders are healthy. Therefore, necessary examinations, including colonoscopy, are also a way to ensure the health of the elderly. But at the same time, we are afraid that the colonoscopy, which looks painful, will cause unnecessary harm to the elderly. In fact, as long as we understand the elderly's physical condition and cooperate with the doctor's examination, there will not be too many problems.

Age is not a problem: colonoscopy is safe for the elderly.

In fact, colonoscopy is safe for most older people. Colonoscopy can detect diseases at an early stage, help screen for risks of cancer or other potential risks, and can achieve “early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment”, thereby improving quality of life and prolonging life.

Although the elderly can undergo colonoscopy, what should they pay attention to?

Common problems in colonoscopy for the elderly: poor bowel preparation

The elderly are prone to constipation. For this group of people, they should have a residue-free liquid or semi-liquid diet a few days in advance, and use laxatives appropriately to clear out the stool. For people without constipation, standard preparations such as compound polyethylene glycol irrigation or oral sodium phosphate laxatives can be used.

The use of sodium phosphate salts may cause hyperphosphatemia, hypernatremia, and hypokalemia. Therefore, elderly people with heart or renal dysfunction should pay attention to changes in water and electrolytes when using osmotic laxatives for bowel preparation. The dosage may be appropriately reduced under the guidance of a doctor.

Elderly people with heart disease and heart replacement devices should be cautious

Nowadays, colonoscopy is not only a tool for screening diseases, but also for related treatments. During colonoscopy, electrocoagulation hemostasis or resection may cause electromagnetic interference to the internal devices of the heart, such as causing pacemaker pacing disorders. Therefore, elderly people with heart disease and pacemakers need to inform their doctor of their condition before undergoing colonoscopy, and only undergo colonoscopy after the doctor's evaluation and consent.

Risks of sedation and anesthesia

Elderly people have increased sensitivity to and risk of sedatives. For elderly patients, sedatives with short half-lives, low metabolite activity and few side effects should be used, and the drug dosage should be appropriately reduced. In addition, mild sedatives should be selected and the administration rate should be appropriately slowed down.