Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Many physicians who perform colonoscopies are beginning to ask their patient for a second cleansing of the bowel in the wee hours before their procedures to ensure the bowel is clean and reduce the need for a redo.

During a colonoscopy, a doctor inserts a long tube with a camera on the end through the rectum and the intestines to look for polyps, signs of early colon cancer. The procedure can virtually remove the risk of colon cancer if detected early, making regular colon screenings a must for individuals age 50 and older and earlier for those with a family history or who are showing signs of colon cancer.

The second bowel cleaning some physicians recommend prior to a colonoscopy follows the day-before rigors of drinking a laxative solution or taking a pill that purges the bowels of its contents. Doctors have found that even after the bowel has been prepped the day before and no more food consumed, sometimes a collection of dead cells, bacterial secretions, mucus, bile and other debris collect in the bowels during the night and can interfere with the physician’s view during the procedure. The second cleansing is usually preformed about five hours before the colonoscopy is scheduled, requiring some patients to wake extra early to “get moving.”

But one word of caution about the bowel cleansing process. Take a close look at the laxative your are prescribed or told to purchase over-the-counter by your doctor. A type of laxative often used to cleanse the bowel before colonoscopies, called oral sodium phosphates, or OSPs, have been linked to serious kidney injury. In some cases, the injury has resulted in kidney failure. The finding has resulted in a black box warning on prescription brands of OSPs, such as Visicol and Osmo Prep, and the removal of over-the-counter Fleet OSPs. If you have experienced kidney injury days, weeks or even months after taking OSP products to cleanse the bowel, you may have a claim against the manufacturer.

Source: Boston.com

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