Safety and Efficacy of CO2 for Endoscopy

The Safety and Efficacy of Carbon Dioxide for Insufflation During Endoscopy in Pediatric Patients

Hypothesis:

Carbon dioxide gas use for endoscopic insufflation is safe and results in less abdominal distension and discomfort; it is equally effective as air in pediatric patients undergoing endoscopic procedures.

Aim 1:

Determine the occurrence and severity of abdominal discomfort and distension associated with endoscopic procedures at baseline, upon awakening from anesthesia, at discharge and at 4 hours after discharge in carbon dioxide group when compared to the air group.

Aim 2:

Determine if the expertise level of the endoscopist contributes to abdominal discomfort and distension following endoscopy, and whether this differs in the carbon dioxide group versus air group.

Aim 3:

Determine if carbon dioxide is as effective as air for insufflation.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Endoscopy; Insufflation
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Air insufflation; Drug: Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas insufflation

Detailed Description

STUDY DESIGN: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blinded, Controlled Trial We intend to enroll 250 patients aged between 6 months and 21 years in a randomized, double-blind study comparing the use of air (our current routine) vs. carbon dioxide (CO2) for insufflation (inflation) of the gut during endoscopy. The primary endpoint will be abdominal girth and abdominal pain/discomfort after undergoing the endoscopy. Secondary endpoints will be indirect measures of CO2 absorption (respiratory rate and end-tidal CO2)throughout the procedure, determination whether the endoscopist's training level influences the primary endpoint,and determination if CO2 and air are equally effective for adequate intestinal visualization . Similar studies in adults have demonstrated safety and efficacy of CO2 in minimizing bloating and abdominal pain following endoscopy and show no difference in efficacy of insufflation. However, studies done to date in children have not been comprehensive in data gathering and analysis. We now have the capability to routinely use CO2 for insufflation in our new Stead Family Children's Hospital procedure unit, and wish to take this opportunity to fully document both efficacy and safety of CO2 insufflation in children undergoing our most common endoscopic procedures, including esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD, upper endoscopy,) colonoscopy, or combined upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. All patients in the study will be sedated by the anesthesia team using propofol as the primary agent. We will exclude patients who are judged to be at risk of respiratory compromise.

Informed consent will be obtained as always for the procedure itself; additional consent and/ assent (when appropriate) will be obtained for study participation. For patients or parents who opt out of the study; air will be used, as per our current routine, for insufflation. Those willing to participate in the study will be randomly assigned to either carbon dioxide or air for insufflation during their endoscopic procedure. Both the endoscopist and patient will be blinded to arm of study.

DATA COLLECTION: At baseline, routine vital signs (HR, BP, RR, oxygen saturation), end tidal CO2, and pain assessment (see below) will be documented. Abdominal girth, measured at the umbilicus, will be documented at baseline as well. The expertise level of the primary endoscopist will be noted; fellow (1st, 2nd, or 3rd year) or faculty will be recorded. A faculty gastroenterologist will be present for the entire procedure.

During the endoscopic procedure, again as per our usual routine, end-tidal CO2 will be continuously monitored and recorded in Epic by the anesthesia team. Other parameters that will be monitored and recorded continuously will include, HR, BP respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation. Based on published studies, we do not anticipate any evidence of detectable CO2 absorption during the procedure, but will be prepared to unblind the study and switch to air insufflation if any concern arises during the procedure. The duration and type of procedure will be noted for all patients.

At the end of the procedure, Heart rate (HR) , Blood pressure (BP), respiratory rate (RR), oxygen saturation, end tidal CO2, abdominal girth, and pain assessment will be documented again. "Breath to breath" analysis of the end tidal CO2 monitor tracing will be performed later, using recorded data, study by Dr. Timothy Starner (Pediatric pulmonologist). This will enable us to determine if there had been any evidence of an increased respiratory rate associated with increased CO2 absorption.

We will use the verbal scale : face, legs, activity, cry, consolability (FLACC) scale to assess pain upon arrival to recovery area. After awakening, abdominal discomfort will be assessed for children who are able to do so, and the assessment will be repeated at discharge from the facility. FLACC will be used for all children with appropriate developmental status, age 5 years and older for normal children. After discharge, the parents will complete an additional brief pain assessment at home at 4 hours after discharge. For those who had an abdominal girth increase of at least 10% from baseline, abdominal girth will be re-measured at home, at 4 hours after discharge.

We will use the non-verbal FLACC scale for children unable to verbally report pain using the visual scale.

Parents will report pain and abdominal girth data done at home by returning a pre-stamped postcard. Those who do not communicate this information will be called by a member of the research team for this information after five working days.

We hypothesize, based on adult and few pediatric studies, that post-procedure abdominal discomfort will be significantly decreased in the CO2 group, and that CO2 will be shown to be safe and effective for endoscopic insufflation.

Efficacy of insufflation will be assessed by the endoscopist immediately after the procedure using a 5-point Likert scale.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 180
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Iowa
    • Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52242
      • University of Iowa

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 2 years to 17 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pediatric gastroenterology patients aged 6 months through 21 years undergoing endoscopic procedures in the Stead Family Children's Hospital (SFCH) Lower Level 2 procedure room or the operating room in the SFCH who willingly consent/ascent to the study. These procedures will range from Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, Colonoscopy, and those having both Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and Colonoscopy.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Non English speaking families who require the services of a translator Children outside the stipulated age range of study. Children in foster care homes or wards of the court. Children and parents who do not willingly consent to the study Children with history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia or other chronic respiratory compromise.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Air for insufflation; In this arm of patients, air which is currently used as standard of care will be used for insufflation	Drug: Air insufflation; Air insufflation is the standard of practice (used in the control arm); Other Names: Control
Experimental: Carbon dioxide gas for insufflation; in this arm of patients, carbon dioxide (CO2) will be used for insufflation during endoscopy	Drug: Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas insufflation; CO2 gas use for insufflation during endoscopy instead of air insufflation; Other Names: CO2

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Abdominal Distension	Change in abdominal girth from baseline to end of procedure (Time Difference 1) or Change in abdominal girth from baseline to time of discharge ((Time Difference 2)	Mean change in abdominal girth between time points were compared between groups

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Elevations of End Tidal Carbon Dioxide	Number of Procedures with Elevated End Tidal CO2 level (≥ 60 mmHg)	Time frame of monitoring from start to end of procedure (average of 12 minutes for EGD procedures)
Procedures With Post Endoscopy Reported Symptoms	Procedures with post endoscopy reported symptoms, up to 4 hours, of belching, bloating and flatulence	Frequency of reported symptoms up to 4 hours post endoscopy was compared between groups

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Warren Bishop
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Warren P Bishop, MD, University of Iowa

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Homan M, Mahkovic D, Orel R, Mamula P. Randomized, double-blind trial of CO2 versus air insufflation in children undergoing colonoscopy. Gastrointest Endosc. 2016 May;83(5):993-7. doi: 10.1016/j.gie.2015.08.073. Epub 2015 Sep 10.
• Dike CR, Rahhal R, Bishop WP. Is Carbon Dioxide Insufflation During Endoscopy in Children as Safe and as Effective as We Think? J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2020 Aug;71(2):211-215. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000002724.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 27, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 9, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): April 9, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 12, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 14, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): September 19, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 19, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 11, 2022
• Last Verified: December 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 201706767

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No