Carbon dioxide for gut distension during digestive endoscopy: technique and practice survey.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the adoption of Carbon dioxide (CO2) insufflation by endoscopists from various European countries, and its determinants.


METHODS
A survey was distributed to 580 endoscopists attending a live course on digestive endoscopy.


RESULTS
The response rate was 24.5%. Fewer than half the respondents (66/142, 46.5%) were aware of the fact that room air can be replaced by CO2 for gut distension during endoscopy, and 4.2% of respondents were actually using CO2 as the insufflation agent. Endoscopists aware of the possibility of CO2 insufflation mentioned technical difficulties in implementing the system and the absence of significant advantages of CO2 in comparison with room air as barriers to adoption in daily practice (84% and 49% of answers, respectively; two answers were permitted for this item).


CONCLUSIONS
Based on this survey, adoption of CO2 insufflation during endoscopy seems to remain relatively exceptional. A majority of endoscopists were not aware of this possibility, while others were not aware of recent technical developments that facilitate CO2 implementation in an endoscopy suite.
Janssens
Filip
F
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Geneva University Hospital, Micheli-du-Crest Street 24, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.
Deviere
Jacques
J
Eisendrath
Pierre
P
Dumonceau
Jean-Marc
JM