Abstract
Objective: The aim was to investigate the attitude of patients about to undergo upper gastrointestinal
endoscopy toward the use of an oral lidocaine spray which contained alcohol.
Materials and Method: It is customary to offer patients about to undergo a gastroscopy intravenous sedation,
an oral local anesthetic spray or a combination of both. However, the presence of
alcohol within the oral spray is seldom discussed with patients. There are some religious
groups, such as fundamentalist Christians and Muslims, who will only consider the
use of alcohol in exceptional circumstances. There are also others who are reluctant
to use it for a range of reasons. One hundred patients undergoing a diagnostic gastroscopy
because of dyspeptic symptoms at the University Hospitals of Leicester were provided
with an information sheet about sedation. Of the 100 patients asked to take part in
the audit 25 were South Asian. Eleven of these patients were Muslim and 11 Hindu.
Results: Fifteen patients declined to use the spray (13 Europeans and 2 South Asians). The
reasons varied with only two doing so for religious reasons. One of the patients was
a Muslim and the other a Christian. However, almost 90% of people believed all patients
should be told of the alcohol content of the oral spray so as to allow them to make
an informed choice. Conclusion: All patients who are to undergo an endoscopy should be told of the alcohol content
of any oral anesthetic spray, so that they can make an informed choice as to whether
they wish to receive it.
Key words
Alcohol - endoscopy - lignocaine spray
