A Risk Assessment of Factors for the Presence of Angiodysplasias During Endoscopy and Factors Contributing to Symptomatic Bleeding and Rebleeds.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have assessed factors associated with angiodysplasias during endoscopy or factors associated with symptomatic disease. AIMS: To evaluate risk factors for the presence of and contribution to symptomatic disease in patients with angiodysplasias. METHODS: We performed a systematic MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library search according to the PRISMA guidelines for studies assessing risk factors involved in angiodysplasias detected during endoscopy and factors that lead to anemia or overt bleeding. Study quality was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. A risk assessment was performed by selecting risk factors identified by two independent studies and/or by a large effect size. RESULTS: Twenty-three studies involving 92,634 participants were included. The overall quality of the evidence was moderate. Risk factors for the diagnosis of angiodysplasias during endoscopy confirmed by at least two studies were increasing age (OR 1.09 per year, 95% CI 1.04-1.1), chronic kidney disease (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.9-10.5) and cardiovascular disease (2.9, 95% CI 1.4-6.2). The risk of rebleeds was higher in the presence of multiple lesions (OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.1-16.2 and 3.8, 95% CI 1.3-11.3 and 8.6, 95% CI 1.4-52.6), liver cirrhosis (OR 4.0, 95% 1.1-15.0) and prothrombin time < 30% (OR 4.2, 95% 1.1-15.4) with a moderate effect size. Multiple comorbidities were associated with an increased in-hospital mortality (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.2-4.3). CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review identified age, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease as the most important risk factors for the diagnosis of angiodysplasias during endoscopy. Multiple lesions increase the risk of recurrent bleeding.

Addition of simethicone improves small bowel capsule endoscopy visualisation quality.

BACKGROUND: Small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) is an important diagnostic tool for small-bowel diseases but its quality may be hampered by intraluminal gas. This study evaluated the added value of the anti-foaming agent, simethicone, to a bowel preparation with polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the quality of small bowel visualisation and its use in the Netherlands. METHODS: This was a retrospective, single-blind, cohort study. Patients in the PEG group only received PEG prior to SBCE. Patients in the PEG-S group ingested additional simethicone. Two investigators assessed the quality of small-bowel visualisation using a four-point scale for 'intraluminal gas' and 'faecal contamination'. By means of a survey, the use of anti-foaming agents was assessed in a random sample of 16 Dutch hospitals performing SBCE. RESULTS: The quality of small bowel visualisation in the PEG group (n = 33) was significantly more limited by intraluminal gas when compared with the PEG-S group (n = 31): proximal segment 83.3% in PEG group vs. 18.5% in PEG-S group (p < 0.01), distal segment 66.7% vs. 18.5% respectively (p < 0.01). No difference was observed in the amount of faecal contamination (proximal segment 80.0% PEG vs. 59.3% PEG-S, p = 0.2; distal segment 90.0% PEG vs. 85.2% PEG-S, p = 0.7), mean small bowel transit times (4.0 PEG vs. 3.9 hours PEG-S, p = 0.7) and diagnostic yield (43.3% PEG vs. 22.2% PEG-S, p = 0.16). Frequency of anti-foaming agent use in the Netherlands was low (3/16, 18.8%). CONCLUSION: Simethicone is of added value to a PEG bowel preparation in improving the quality of visualisation of the small bowel by reducing intraluminal gas. At present, the use of anti-foaming agents in SBCE preparation is not standard practice in the Netherlands.

Chronic anemia due to gastrointestinal bleeding: when do gastroenterologists transfuse?

BACKGROUND: The hypothesis is that decision-making for transfusion varies considerably among gastroenterologists. The aim is to identify preferences and predictors of transfusion decision-making in chronic anemia. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Between February and April of 2015, a computerized adaptive choice-based conjoint survey was administered to gastroenterologists in the Netherlands. The survey included seven patient attributes: hemoglobin levels, hemoglobin stability, age, iron indices, the presence of anemia-related symptoms, cardiovascular comorbidities, and the number of transfusions in the past half year. Predictors of transfusion preferences were assessed by multivariable regression. RESULTS: 113 gastroenterologists completed the survey (response rate = 29%; mean age = 47 years; 24% women). Absolute hemoglobin level was the most important incentive of transfusion, accounting for 42% of decision-making, followed by age (15%), hemoglobin stability (12%), anemia-related symptoms (10%), and cardiovascular comorbidities (10%). A hemoglobin level >9.6 g/dL is an inflection point, where gastroenterologists would not prescribe transfusions. Age of the patient is more important in the decision-making process to younger gastroenterologists (OR -2.9, 95% CI -5.3 to -0.5). CONCLUSION: Absolute hemoglobin level is the most important factor to transfusion decision-making. This is contradictory to transfusion guidelines for chronic anemia which address the importance of symptoms.

Multicentre, open-label, randomised, parallel-group, superiority study to compare the efficacy of octreotide therapy 40†mg monthly versus standard of care in patients with refractory anaemia due to gastrointestinal bleeding from small bowel angiodysplasias: a protocol of the OCEAN trial.

INTRODUCTION: Gastrointestinal angiodysplasias are an important cause of difficult-to-manage bleeding, especially in older patients. Endoscopic coagulation of angiodysplasias is the mainstay of treatment, but may be difficult for small bowel angiodysplasias because of the inability to reach them for endoscopic intervention. Some patients are red blood cell (RBC) transfusion dependent due to frequent rebleeding despite endoscopic treatment. In small cohort studies, octreotide appears to decrease the number of bleeding episodes in patients with RBC transfusion dependency due to gastrointestinal angiodysplasias. This trial will assess the efficacy of octreotide in decreasing the need for RBC transfusions and parenteral iron in patients with anaemia due to gastrointestinal bleeding of small bowel angiodysplasias despite endoscopic intervention. STUDY DESIGN: Randomised controlled, superiority, open-label multicentre trial. PARTICIPANTS: 62 patients will be included with refractory anaemia due to small bowel angiodysplasias, who are RBC transfusion or iron infusion dependent despite endoscopic intervention and oral iron supplementation. INTERVENTION: Patients will be randomly assigned (1:1) to standard care or 40 mg long-acting octreotide once every 4 weeks for 52 weeks, in addition to standard care. The follow-up period is 8 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome is the difference in the number of blood and iron infusions between the year prior to inclusion and the treatment period of 1 year. Important secondary outcomes are the per cent change in the number of rebleeds from baseline to end point, adverse events and quality of life. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The trial received ethical approval from the Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects and from the local accredited Medical Research Ethics Committee of the region Arnhem-Nijmegen, the Netherlands (reference number: 2014-1433). Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02384122; Pre-results.

Flexible endosopic management of Zenker's diverticulum: characteristics and outcomes of 52 cases at a tertiary referral center.

Zenker's diverticulum causes substantial morbidity among affected elderly patients. In the United States, rigid endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomy is the mainstay of management and the flexible endoscopic technique is reserved for those not deemed candidates for rigid endoscopy due to an inability to extend the neck and/or medical comorbidities. Short- and long-term outcomes following flexible endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomy in the United States are limited. We reviewed the patient characteristics and outcomes of 58 consecutive flexible endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomies performed at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, between March 2006 and November 2013. There were 58 procedures performed on 52 unique patients. The median age was 77 years, and 48% of patients were female. More than one third of patients had either failed previous rigid therapy or were deemed inoperable by the referring surgeon. Size of the diverticulum ranged from 1 cm to 5 cm with a mean of 2.8 cm. Most procedures (67%) were performed under general anesthesia. Initial procedural success was achieved in all patients. Of the patients, 77% reported complete symptom resolution at mean follow-up time of 26 months. Of the procedures, 71% were not associated with any adverse event, but esophageal microperforation occurred during 11 procedures (19%). Of these, nine resolved with conservative management, one required an endoscopic stent, and one developed a neck abscess that required drainage. Our data show in a group of elderly patients with preexisting comorbidities flexible endoscopy therapy for Zenker's diverticulum is feasible. Initial symptomatic improvement was universal, and long-term response appears durable. The most common adverse event was esophageal microperforation, and the majority (82%) of these resolved with conservative management. Direct comparison with outcomes of rigid endoscopic or open surgical techniques has not been performed, but these data suggest that a randomized trial is warranted to assess the efficacy and safety of a flexible endoscopic technique.