Safety and Feasibility of Oral Rehydration Solution Prior to Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography

Purpose: The safety of oral rehydration therapy before endoscopic screening with respect to vital signs and complications after the screening procedure was assessed in patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Methods: A total of 107 patients scheduled for ERCP were assigned to either the intravenous drip injection (DIV) group during fasting (56 patients) or ORS group given oral rehydration solution (51 patients) prior to endoscopy. Vital signs after ERCP, including blood pressure and temperature, blood biochemical data and the incidence of post-ERCP complications were compared between the groups. Results: No cases of aspiration pneumonia were detected in either groups. Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences between the DIV group and ORS group in terms of the biochemical data and vital signs after ERCP. The intergroup difference in the development of pancreatitis after ERCP was 2.3% [95% CI: −5.7, 10.3], which was not statistically significant. Conclusions: The safety of oral rehydration therapy was found to be equivalent to that of the customary practice of infusion as a method for managing hydration and replenishing electrolytes in patients receiving ERCP. Oral rehydration therapy may be easily utilized as rehydration therapy prior to endoscopic screening for ERCP and other procedures.