Colonoscopy in the Prone Position for Patients With BMI Greater Than 30

Colonoscopy in the Prone Position for Patients With BMI Greater Than 30 Is Superior to Standard Left Lateral Decubitus Position

In the United States, colonoscopy has become the most commonly used screening test for colorectal cancer. Colonoscopy is typically performed with the patient starting in the left lateral decubitus position, however there is little data to support this practice and starting position is variable amongst individual gastroenterology physicians.

The investigators plan to randomize patients with Body Mass Index >30 that are presenting to the University of Virginia for colonoscopy to either the prone or left lateral decubitus position. The investigators will then record and compare cecal intubation times as well as amount of sedation used and complications to help determine which position is superior for this patient population.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Position during colonoscopy

Detailed Description

Patients that have been scheduled for colonoscopy will undergo chart review. Patients who meet inclusion criteria will be invited to participate at the time consent is obtained for the colonoscopy. Participants will then be randomized to one of two colonoscopy starting positions.

After randomization, patients will begin the colonoscopy in either the prone position or left lateral decubitus position.

It is common practice to re-position the patient during endoscopy (including supine and prone positions) and some endoscopists commonly employ prone starting position for obese patients, although there is no estimate in the literature as to the prevalence of this practice.

No additional interventions will be performed for research purposes. During the colonoscopy, the endoscopist will be allowed, as usual, to adjust patient position as needed to complete the procedure. Cecal intubation time, amount of sedation used, and any intra-procedural complications (hypoxia, hypotension, etc) will be recorded for data analysis. This information is standardly recorded in the procedure report in the patient's medical record. The study will not affect any interventions performed during the colonoscopy such as polyp removal or biopsies as, clinically indicated. Per endoscopy unit protocol, patients will be monitored in the recovery area and discharged home with supervision. The study requires no further direct patient interaction after the colonoscopy is completed. Charts will be reviewed at 30 days to assess for any delayed and unexpected complications.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 141
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Virginia
    • Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, 22908
      • University of Virginia

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• BMI >30
• Undergoing screening or diagnostic colonoscopy with conscious sedation

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women (self reported).
• Cognitively impaired patients
• History of colonic resection
• Cannot lay in prone position
• History of colon malignancy
• Procedure aborted due to inadequate bowel prep
• Severe pulmonary problems (including baseline oxygen use)
• Inability to provide consent for themselves

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Prone Position; Position during colonoscopy	Procedure: Position during colonoscopy; Position during colonoscopy
Active Comparator: Left lateral decubitus position; Position during colonoscopy	Procedure: Position during colonoscopy; Position during colonoscopy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cecal intubation time measured in seconds	Time to advance the colonoscope to the cecum during colonoscopy.	Measured once during colonoscopy.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Milligrams of sedative used for sedation	Amount of fentanyl and midazolam needed for adequate sedation.	Measured once at the completion of the colonoscopy.
Technical difficulty of procedure (questionnaire)	Measure of subjective sense of difficulty as perceived by the endoscopist.	Recorded once at the completion of the colonoscopy.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Virginia
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Brooke Corning, MD, University of Virginia, Dept of Internal Medicine, Divison of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Flegal KM, Kruszon-Moran D, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. Trends in Obesity Among Adults in the United States, 2005 to 2014. JAMA. 2016 Jun 7;315(21):2284-91. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.6458.
• Uddin FS, Iqbal R, Harford WV, Dunbar KB, Cryer BL, Spechler SJ, Feagins LA. Prone positioning of obese patients for colonoscopy results in shortened cecal intubation times: a randomized trial. Dig Dis Sci. 2013 Mar;58(3):782-7. doi: 10.1007/s10620-012-2468-x. Epub 2012 Nov 10.
• Weinstock LB, Early DS. Colonoscopy in the tilt-down position. Gastrointest Endosc. 2014 Oct;80(4):746. doi: 10.1016/j.gie.2014.05.328. No abstract available.
• Rex DK. Achieving cecal intubation in the very difficult colon. Gastrointest Endosc. 2008 May;67(6):938-44. doi: 10.1016/j.gie.2007.12.028. No abstract available.
• De Silva AP, Kumarasena RS, Perera Keragala SD, Kalubowila U, Niriella M, Dassanayake AS, Pathmeswaran A, de Silva HJ. The prone 12 o'clock position reduces ileal intubation time during colonoscopy compared to the left lateral 6 o'clock (standard) position. BMC Gastroenterol. 2011 Aug 4;11:89. doi: 10.1186/1471-230X-11-89.
• Vergis N, McGrath AK, Stoddart CH, Hoare JM. Right Or Left in COLonoscopy (ROLCOL)? A Randomized Controlled Trial of Right- versus Left-Sided Starting Position in Colonoscopy. Am J Gastroenterol. 2015 Nov;110(11):1576-81. doi: 10.1038/ajg.2015.298. Epub 2015 Sep 29.
• Lucendo AJ. Colonoscopy in obese patients: time to change position. Dig Dis Sci. 2013 Mar;58(3):608-9. doi: 10.1007/s10620-012-2542-4. Epub 2013 Jan 12. No abstract available.
• Lieberman DA, Rex DK, Winawer SJ, Giardiello FM, Johnson DA, Levin TR. Guidelines for colonoscopy surveillance after screening and polypectomy: a consensus update by the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. Gastroenterology. 2012 Sep;143(3):844-857. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2012.06.001. Epub 2012 Jul 3. No abstract available.
• Witte TN, Enns R. The difficult colonoscopy. Can J Gastroenterol. 2007 Aug;21(8):487-90. doi: 10.1155/2007/520431. No abstract available.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 10, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 10, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): June 10, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 6, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 6, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): November 8, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 12, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 10, 2019
• Last Verified: June 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: colonoscopy
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20078

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: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No