Is gastrointestinal endoscopy in children harmful?

This is an automatically translated article.

Gastrointestinal endoscopy for children requires the use of anesthesia. The process of anesthesia for children under 10 years old often has a high rate of complications, adversely affecting the health of children. Therefore, gastrointestinal endoscopy in children is only performed when absolutely necessary to avoid affecting health.

1. Can children have endoscopy?

Endoscopy is a modern medical technique that has been used in medical examination and diagnosis. This technique uses specialized instruments with cameras attached to directly observe the internal organs of the body.
With laparoscopic techniques, doctors can record inside organs, remove foreign bodies, take biopsies and even perform laparoscopic surgery. Today, endoscopic techniques have been used in most specialties such as gastroenterology, ENT, bone and joint, obstetrics, surgery, urology, neurology, cosmetology...
Gastrointestinal endoscopy is a technique. Endoscopic visualization of the gastrointestinal tract. Including:
Endoscopy of the esophagus - stomach - duodenum: is a technique to insert the endoscope into the lumen of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum through the nose or mouth to diagnose diseases of the upper digestive tract; Colonoscopy: It is a technique of inserting an endoscope into the colonic lumen from the anus to observe and apply in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the colon. Gastrointestinal endoscopy for children brings the following benefits:
Good assessment of pathologies inside the digestive tract such as inflammatory lesions, ulcers, tumors and malformations such as narrowing, diaphragm...; This is the only method that can conduct a biopsy of the gastrointestinal mucosa at the right location and allow the doctor to do other important tests (eg, cytology, test for Helicobacter Pylori bacteria ); Gastrointestinal endoscopy can treat a number of gastrointestinal diseases such as esophageal strictures, polyps, gastrointestinal bleeding, foreign bodies... that other methods cannot be superior to.

2. Indications and contraindications for gastrointestinal endoscopy for children

Cases in which children need gastroscopy are:
Children with difficulty swallowing, swallowing foreign bodies; Children with persistent vomiting; Children with persistent abdominal pain, often have pain that wakes them up at night; Children with persistent epigastric pain related to eating; Children with anemia of unknown cause; Children with growth retardation or unexplained weight loss; Children have black stools or hidden blood in stools with persistent abdominal pain; Children with persistent abdominal pain accompanied by a family history of a parent, sibling with stomach cancer or a person with peptic ulcer disease caused by HP bacteria. Gastroscopy in children always requires the use of anesthesia, because the child is not yet able to cooperate with the endoscopist and the endoscopy procedure for children is relatively complicated. Anesthesia always comes with the risk of side effects. Therefore, in the following cases, endoscopy should not be given to children:
The child is healthy, has no symptoms related to stomach disease such as: Abdominal pain, loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, walking outside for a long time...; Children with no family history such as parents, siblings with stomach cancer, stomach diseases; children who do not live with a person with peptic ulcer disease who has H. There are many causes of abdominal pain in children, so if testing is necessary, it is necessary to choose simple, less invasive methods. Children with cardiovascular disease, heart failure, respiratory failure or children with liver and kidney disease and children who have just eaten full.

3. Is gastroscopy in children harmful?

For children, the gastroscopy requires the use of anesthesia to make the child more cooperative during the colonoscopy. However, in the process of anesthesia for children under 10 years old often have a higher rate of complications than adults and can leave many negative effects on the health of children.
Cases where complications occur mainly due to anesthetic reactions may be caused by using the wrong dose, not having a thorough clinical examination before endoscopy or using anesthetic drugs that are not suitable for the child's condition.
Some possible complications during gastroscopy for children:
Increase or decrease in blood pressure; Respiratory failure causes children to have weak breathing, slow breathing, and lack of oxygen in the blood; Choking; Heart beats irregularly. Currently, scientists have improved and produced more modern endoscopes, suitable for children. Along with that, the specialist doctor's choice to use a new anesthetic with a short anesthetic time to help the child wake up immediately after the endoscopy will minimize the complications during the endoscopy and do not affect the health of the child. children's health in the future.

4. How to take care of children after gastroscopy?

Contact the doctor immediately if the child has bad complications. After a gastroscopy, the child will often feel uncomfortable, so you need to pay attention to care and comfort the child.
If you feel that your child has the following abnormal symptoms, you should immediately notify the doctor so that they can be promptly handled:
Difficulty breathing; Decrease or increase in blood pressure; Weak breathing, slow breathing; irregular heartbeat; The child has a fever of more than 38 degrees or has chills; The child has severe pain in the abdomen, chest and neck, vomiting. After a gastroscopy, the baby's nasopharynx can often be slightly damaged, causing discomfort, so you should not feed your child immediately after the endoscopy. In case of force majeure, give the child soft, dilute foods or warm milk. In the following days, if the child does not show any abnormality, you can give the child a normal diet, but you should prioritize foods that are easy to digest.
In summary, gastrointestinal endoscopy in children is an endoscopic method of observing the gastrointestinal tract lumen to well assess the pathologies inside the gastrointestinal tract. Endoscopic procedures may pose certain risks. In order to limit the risks and complications related to gastrointestinal endoscopy, parents should bring their children to examine and perform endoscopy (if indicated) at reputable hospitals, with adequate equipment and machinery. Doctors have experience in using anesthetics safely.
Currently, the Pediatrics Department at Vinmec International General Hospital is trusted by many parents to examine the diseases that infants and young children are susceptible to. Vinmec brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts by:
Gathering a team of leading pediatricians: including leading experts with high professional qualifications ( professor, associate professor, doctorate, master), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108... The doctors are well-trained, professional, conscientious - understanding and understanding young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. Advanced techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to play comfortably and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment.

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