Side-lying versus back-lying position to reduce low oxygen after painless gastroscopy or colonoscopy

Effect of Lateral Versus Supine Positions on Postoperative Hypoxemia in Patients Undergoing Painless Gastroscopy and Colonoscopy: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study

This test sees if lying on your side instead of on your back during recovery after a painless gastroscopy or colonoscopy cuts the chance of low oxygen levels in adults.

Quick facts

• Phase: Not applicable
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 960 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University (Academic / other)
• Locations: 1 site (Yinchuan, Ningxia)
• Trial ID: NCT07545642 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This interventional study assigns adults having painless esophagogastroduodenoscopy and/or colonoscopy to recover either in the lateral (side-lying) or supine (back-lying) position and monitors oxygen saturation in the post-procedure period. The trial uses prospective real-world data and includes a broad patient mix (ASA I–III) to reflect routine clinical practice, including patients with common pulmonary comorbidities. The primary focus is the incidence of postprocedural hypoxemia during recovery, with comparisons between the two position groups. The intervention is non-invasive, simple to implement, and intended as a low-cost optimization for standard recovery care.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Adults (≥18 years) scheduled for painless gastroscopy and/or colonoscopy under sedation, classified ASA I–III and able to give informed consent, including those with common pulmonary conditions, are eligible.

Not a fit: Patients with severe cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, pregnant patients, those with hypersensitivity to ciprofol, or those who require endotracheal intubation during the procedure are unlikely to benefit from this positioning intervention.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide a simple, non-invasive, low-cost way to lower the risk of low oxygen episodes after sedated GI endoscopy.

How similar studies have performed: Emerging evidence during sedation suggests lateral positioning reduces intra-procedural hypoxemia, but high-quality data specifically focused on the recovery phase are limited.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age ≥ 18 years.
2. Both sexes.
3. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification I-III.
4. Scheduled for combined painless esophagogastroduodenoscopy/colonoscopy or either of the two procedures.
5. Ability to understand the study protocol and provide written informed consent.
6. A broad set of inclusion criteria was adopted to enroll a patient population that better reflects routine clinical practice. The study aimed to enhance the generalizability of the findings by including patients with various comorbidities, such as preprocedural hypoxemia (room-air SpO₂ ≤ 90%), history of pulmonary surgery, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and other pulmonary conditions (including asthma, COPD, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and pulmonary bullae).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Severe cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases.
2. Pregnant patients.
3. History of hypersensitivity to ciprofol.

Withdrawal Criteria:

1. Endotracheal intubation required during the procedure.
2. Voluntary withdrawal requested by the patient or their legal representative.

Where this trial is running

Yinchuan, Ningxia

• General hospital of Ningxia medical university, Yinchuan, Ningxia — Yinchuan, Ningxia, China (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Xiaoyong Wei, Degree

Conditions Postoperative Hypoxemia