Purpose: Adequate bowel preparation is crucial for successful colonoscopy, preventing delays, missed findings, and higher costs. This study compared small-volume preparation (SVP) and large-volume preparation (LVP) in hospitalized patients. Methods: A single-center, retrospective cohort study included 107 patients (SVP: 56, LVP: 51). Primary outcome: time from bowel preparation to colonoscopy. Secondary outcomes: time from admission to colonoscopy, need for additional cleansing, rate of morning colonoscopies, and hospital length of stay (LOS). Results: Median time to colonoscopy was similar (SVP: 21.2 hours, LVP: 19.9 hours; p=0.99). Hospital LOS (SVP: 5.7 days, LVP: 7.1 days; p=0.74) and time from admission to colonoscopy (SVP: 3.6 days, LVP: 3.1 days; p=0.60) showed no significant difference. More LVP patients needed adjunctive laxatives (41% vs. 13%; p<0.001). No significant difference in morning colonoscopies (p=0.25) or additional preparation (p=0.29). Conclusion: SVP and LVP had similar times to colonoscopy and LOS, but LVP required more adjunctive laxatives, indicating lower cleansing efficacy. Further studies are needed.
Wells et al. (Thu,) studied this question.