This “routine” intervention aims to study the inner lining of the intestine to detect possible abnormalities, such as colon cancer.
- The operation consists in particular in verifying that there is no colon cancer, but also Crohn’s disease, polyps or rectocolitis.
- One to two days of preparation is necessary to “clean” and prepare the intestine.
- The operation is performed under general anesthesia.
Temporarily, Kamala Harris, the current Vice President of the United States, became the country’s first female president. During his annual visit to the military hospital Walter Reed, in Maryland, Joe Biden underwent a colonoscopy, an operation which is carried out under general anesthesia. This medical intervention is common among people over 50, while the US president is 79 years old.
An operation in preparation
The operation aims to study the internal wall of the intestine, in order to detect possible anomalies. This includes checking that there is no colon cancer, but also Crohn’s disease, polyps or rectocolitis. “This examination is carried out using an endoscope (flexible tube equipped with a small camera, a lamp and, if necessary, surgical instruments passing through the channel of the endoscope)”, specifies the Health Insurance on its website. The endoscope allows both to observe but also to perform samples or ablations.
Entering the intestines is not a trivial intervention. Indeed, he sees being able to “clean” it and therefore such an operation must be anticipated a few days before. One, or even two, days before, the patient must follow a strict diet “without residue”, that is to say without dietary fiber. He can only eat broth without vegetables, unfinished pasta, potatoes, meat, fish, cooked fruit compotes and white bread. Added to this is the ingestion of a “bowel preparation liquid” the day before and/or a few hours before the examination. This liquid quickly causes very significant diarrhea, “without abdominal pain”, says Ameli.
Complications are rare
On the day of the operation, the patient must be fasting. He is then placed under general anesthesia. The procedure as such only takes a few minutes, after which the patient is taken to the recovery room and monitored for about an hour. He is then released and can return home. In some rare cases, a perforation of the digestive wall causing bleeding may occur.
The detailed account of the operation carried out on Joe Biden indicates that the American president is in good health and “fit” for his duties.
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