D.2- Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Service (DES)

The Digestive Endoscopy Service has 2 fully equipped rooms (oxygen outlet and vacuum outlet independent from each other, ECG, pulsoxymetry, bloddless blood pressure measurement and appropriate anaesthetic material) to carry out any required digestive explorations (Gastroscopy, Colonoscopy, Echoendoscopy) as well as simple surgical procedures (anal fissure, haemorrhoids, anal fistula, insertion of intragastric balloons).

Four anaesthesiologists, 2 in the morning shift and 2 in the evening shift, provide anaesthetic care to patients admitted to the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Unit.

The duties of the anaesthesiologists working at this Unit include:
• To conduct a preoperative assessment if the patient has not been previously seen in the consulting offices and to collect the Informed Consent Form from the patient.
• To attend scheduled surgery and/or urgent surgery at the Digestive Endoscopy Unit.
• To monitor the patient until discharge.
• To admit the patient to the hospital should a serious complication arise, be it a surgical or an anaesthetic complication.

The anaesthetic techniques employed are mostly sedations with Midazolam, Fentanyl and Propofol, complemented with the administration of oxygen via a facial mask.

In 2005, approximately 4,000 anaesthetic procedures were performed at this Unit with no events attributable to the anaesthesia.