Postendoscopic infections fluctuate wildly by ASC

A study, published in Gut, examined endoscopy and osophagogastroduodenoscopies infection rates in the ASC setting.

Researchers used payer claims data from six states to examine colonoscopy and OGD procedures from 2014. They compared the infection rates to a control group of four similar procedures. Infection-related emergency department visits and unplanned hospital admissions within seven days to 30 days were the primary outcomes.

Here's what they found.

1. Postendoscopic infection rate within seven days was 1.1 per every 1,000 procedures for screening colonoscopy, 1.6 per every 1,000 for nonscreening colonoscopy and 3.0 per every 1,000 for OGD. The rates were higher than the comparable screening mammography but lower than bronchoscopy and cystoscopy.

2. Patients were more likely to get a postendoscopic infection if they were recently hospitalized or had undergone an endoscopic procedure in the past. ASCs with low procedure volumes and those that weren't freestanding also had higher postendoscopic infection rates.

3. Postendoscopic infection rates varied widely by ASC as well. Seven-day rates varied from zero to 115 per 1,000 procedures for screening colonoscopies, zero to 132 per 1,000 for non-screening colonoscopy and zero to 62 per 1,000 for OGD.

Researchers concluded, "We found that postendoscopic infections are more common than previously thought and vary widely by facility. Although screening colonoscopy is not without risk, the risk is lower than diagnostic endoscopic procedures."

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