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Upper Endoscopy Surgery
Relevant information about Upper Endoscopy Surgery.
The procedure consists on a process that will allow the surgeon to correct and examine disorders located in a specific part of the gastro intestinal tract. This area of the human body is composed by the esophagus, the stomach and the duodenum. The professional that will perform the surgical procedure is named an endoscopist, and with the help of an endoscope, will search for irritation, redness, inflammation, tumors or ulcers.
Upper Endoscopy Surgery is used to solve several types of problems. Among them we can find: treatment for upper abdomen area pain; vomiting with blood; gastroesophageal reflux disease, having vomits and nausea usually, removal of a foreign body that has been swallowed, checking the healing of a previous surgical procedure that had been performed for treating and ulcer or a tumor, and finally, when the patient presents difficulty swallowing liquids or food.
The procedure will be performed while the patient lies in his/her left side. It is probable that the doctor will give the patient some kind of medication (maybe a gargle or a spray) that will numb his/her throat. The doctor will also put a mouth guard that will be placed into the patient´s mouth in order to avoid damage to the denture. The surgeon will use an endoscope (or a gastroscope which are the same); which it is a tube that has approximately the size of a finger and in its top it contains a small camera that will be in charge of reproducing the images from inside the patient´s body. All the images will be reproduced in a special monitor that will be situated in the operating room. Most patients do not present difficulties in swallowing the flexible tube, mostly because of the effect of the medication. There is another way of performing the procedure that is called transnasal endoscopy. This procedure consists on placing a very thin scope through the nose. In this case, the patient will not be sedated but he/she will have medications that will relief any discomfort that could be felt during the process. The endoscopist can use the treatment to achieve different aims such as taking samples or solving specific problems. In both cases, air will be introduced through the scope in order to open the stomach, esophagus and intestine. This is done to give the professional a better view of each organ; it is probable during the procedure for the patient to feel a mild discomfort induced by the air that is pushed into the intestinal tract. Fortunately, the endoscope does not affect the normal breathing of the patient.
The most common discomfort that is felt after the operation is a feeling of bloating as a result of the air that has been introduced during the examination. However, this is solved quickly once the air has evaporated. Other common sensation is a mild sore felt in the throat. Most patients are able to eat a few hours after the operation.
Some of the possible complications found in this procedure are: inhalation of foods or liquids into the lungs, however this risk can be prevented by avoiding the ingestion of food and drinks; another complication is that the endoscope may tear the tissue examined, fortunately this occurs in very few cases; bleeding can occur during the procedure, luckily doctors will be able to manage the situation; an adverse reaction to the sedative medications given by the doctor may appear, preventing this situation is possible by giving the adequate information to the team of surgeons before the procedure is performed; finally, the medications could cause an irritation in the vein, if the patient notices redness or swelling, he/she should call immediately to the endoscopist. If the patient feels severe pain located in the abdominal area, vomiting, high temperatures or difficulty swallowing, he/she should notify about this to a professional that will be in charge of finding out what is the cause of any of these symptoms.
The majority of the patients are able to adapt to the endoscopy very well and feel fine after the procedure has ended. It is probable that the patient may feel fatigue after the procedure and because of this; the doctor may recommend to rest and relax the day when the procedure has taken place.
The professional will not make any cut in the patient´s body. He/she will introduce a thin tube that will give, to the professional, the possibility of viewing and discovering where is located the health conflict of the patient.
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