Complications from endoscopic procedures like colonoscopy might cause more complications than previously thought, according to a study by researchers at Boston’s Beth Israel hospital.
Common endoscopic procedures like colonoscopy may be more likely than previously thought to cause complications, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston designed a system to examine electronic medical records detailing more than 18,000 endoscopic procedures. The system recorded all emergency department admissions to the hospital with 14 days of the procedures.
A Personalized Approach to Medication Nonadherence
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
There were 419 admissions resulting in 266 hospitalizations, according to the study. Thirty-two percent of the ER admissions and 29 percent of the hospitalizations were deemed related to the endoscopies, versus only 31 complications reported by doctors at the hospital.
The researchers “observed a 1 percent incidence of related hospital visits within 14 days of outpatient endoscopy, two- to three-fold higher than recent estimates,” according to the study. “Most events were not captured by standard reporting, and strategies for automating adverse event reporting should be developed.”
The extra ER visits and hospitalizations added $48 per examination, the researchers found, taking the mean costs to about $1,400 per ER visit and more than $10,000 per hospitalization.
“The cost of unexpected hospital visits post-endoscopy may be significant and should be taken into account in screening or surveillance programs,” the researchers wrote.
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
The Massachusetts Medical Devices Journal is the online journal of the medical devices industry in the Commonwealth and New England, providing day-to-day coverage of the devices that save lives, the people behind them, and the burgeoning trends and developments within the industry.
