Capsule Endoscopy Outpatient Instructions

6/2/2015

The Day before your Capsule Endoscopy

• You may have a regular breakfast and a regular lunch. After lunch, you will start a clear liquid diet. You may have clear liquids until 10:00pm the night before your capsule endoscopy. (Nothing to eat or drink after 10:00pm!)

CLEAR LIQUID DIET

• You may take your necessary medications as directed with a sip of water the morning of your capsule endoscopy at least 2 hours before your scheduled appointment time.

• Stop taking Carafate, Maalox, Mylanta, Pepto Bismol, and other similar medications 24 hours prior to your procedure.

• Abstain from smoking 24 hours prior to undergoing the capsule endoscopy.

*Stop all iron supplements 5 days before your procedure*

The Day of your Capsule Endoscopy

• Wear loose fitting, two-piece clothing. Do not apply body lotion or powder to your abdomen.

• Arrive at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton at OUTPATIENT/SURGERY Entrance (valet parking)  on Clinic Avenue.  Go to Registration on the left side of the Atrium.  

• At the Short Stay Unit, you will be checked in after registration completed.

• Your doctor will discuss the procedure with you and obtain your consent obtained if not previously completed in the office.

• You will also be given a Capsule Endoscopy Event Form to fill out and bring back with you when your test is complete.

• The SensorArray will be applied to your abdomen with adhesive pads, and will be connected to the DataRecorder, which you will wear in a belt around your waist. After that, you will be instructed to swallow the PillCam SB capsule.

After Ingesting the PillCam SB Capsule

1. After ingesting the PillCam SB capsule, do not eat or drink for 2 hours. After 2 hours, you may have one clear liquid drink.  After 4 hours, you may have a light snack, such as chicken noodle soup or jell-o (non-red). After the examination is completed, you may return to your normal diet. These instructions apply unless the physician specifies otherwise. Contact the Short Stay Unit immediately to talk to a nurse at (770) 836-9500 if you suffer from any abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting during the procedure.

2. Do not lift, stoop, or bend over during the procedure. Also avoid strenuous activity that may make you sweat.

3. While you are wearing the DataRecorder, you will need to verify periodically (about every 30 minutes) that the light on the top of the DataRecorder is blinking twice per second. If it stops blinking at this rate, record the time on your diary and call Short Stay Unit 770-836-9500. You should also record the time and nature of any event such as eating, drinking, activity, and unusual sensations.

4. After ingesting the PillCam SB, and until you pass it, you should not be near any source of powerful electromagnetic fields, such as one created near an MRI device or amateur (ham) radio. Occasionally, some images may be lost due to radio interference. On rare occasions, this may result in the need to repeat the SB Capsule Endoscopy examination. The physician may then advise you to stay within the premises of hospital to prevent this problem from occurring.

5. If Capsule has not passed with 2 weeks notify your Doctor.

6. The Capsule Endoscopy lasts approximately 8-12 hours. Do not disconnect the equipment or remove the belt at any time during this period. Since the DataRecorder is actually a small computer, it should be treated with utmost care and protection. Avoid sudden movement and banging of the DataRecorder.

7. You will return to Short Stay Unit at the time instructed by the nurse at discharge to have the DataRecorder removed and return your event log.

If you have any questions regarding your prep, or if you need to change the date of your procedure, please contact your physician's office.

Created 2/17/2015 Edited 6/2/2015, 9/20/2016