Impact of reducing the duration of fasting and no drinking on the experiences of older patients receiving painless gastroscopy: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Before undergoing painless gastroscopy, patients are required to fast and no drinking for at least 4 h which is unpleasant for older patients. Objective: The aim of this study is to increase the preprocedural comfort of older patients by reducing the duration of fasting and no drinking before painless gastroscopy while ensuring safety. Methods: Older patients aged more than 65 years who underwent painless gastroscopy were randomly allocated to the study group ( Results: In the study group, the incidence of thirst, hunger, dizziness, and fatigue before gastroscopy was significantly lower than that in the control group (33.4% Conclusion: In this random trial of older patients undergoing painless gastroscopy, ingestion of 250 ml opaque liquid 4 h before, followed by 250 ml water 2 h before, improved pre-procedure comfort and patient satisfaction compared with conventional fasting. We observed no statistically significant increase in clinically identified gastric reflux, aspiration, or impaired endoscopic field clarity; however, the incidence of such adverse events was low, and the trial was not powered to exclude small increases in rare but serious complications. Larger studies would be required to definitively establish safety equivalence.