Comparison of Oxygenation and Ventilation With a Novel Nasal Mask Versus Standard of Care During Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy has become an essential part of the patient management, especially in the field of colorectal cancer prevention. About 15 million colonoscopies were done in the United States in 2012. Data from United States and European countries suggest that the majority of investigations are performed with the aid of sedation. Since sedation can cause significant respiratory depression, resulting in hypoxia, especially in obese and elder populations who are more likely to undergo colonoscopy, usually oxygen is provided to patients via a nasal cannula to minimize the risk of hypoxia.

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) has been shown to effectively relieve upper airway obstruction in patients with OSA as it creates a pneumatic stent in the hypopharynx that reduces obstruction and allows for continuous oxygenation. Nasal ventilation was also proven to be more effective than combined oral-nasal ventilation during induction of general anesthesia in adult subjects. However, it is not clear if nasal mask can be used safely for oxygenation and ventilation in patients undergoing colonoscopy.

The SuperNO2VA™ device is a new commercially available nasal mask that provides both nasal CPAP and nasal mask ventilation. The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of oxygenation and ventilation during colonoscopy using the novel nasal mask, SuperNO2VA™, and standard care with nasal cannula.