A randomised controlled study evaluating the use of water during a colonoscopy in patients to facilitate the performance of the colonoscopic procedure

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CRC is the second leading cause of cancer death, and accounts for approximately 9% of cancer deaths overall. Approximately one in three people who develop CRC die of this disease. Colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for screening but requires time, sedation and patients may experience some discomfort during the procedure. The standard method of colonoscopy uses air to inflate the colon in order for the lumen to be visualized and the instrument to be safely passed to the caecum/terminal ileum. Water assisted colonoscopy has been described to reduce caecal intubation time as well as analgesia requirements. However this technique has not been studied in a wide variety of patients nor in patients typical of a population appropriate for colorectal cancer screening. We aim to investigate the benefit of water assisted colonoscopy to reduce the time of intubation and thereby also allow a reduction in the sedation requirements and overall improve patient experience. We anticipate this will result in reduced procedural times and expense and hence allow more screening to be conducted without adversely affecting patient experience. It is speculated that water may decrease friction and lead to a reduction in intubation time and less cramping from air. To investigate the benefit of water assisted colonoscopy to reduce the time of intubation and thereby also allow a reduction in the sedation requirements and overall improve patient experience

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