- The patient can eat and drink immediately after the procedure, unless otherwise indicated.
- The patient can usually go home quite immediately. If he/she is tired after the examination/medications, or a procedure that leads to increasing risk for complications is performed, the patient may be in the hospital for observation in one to three hours before going home.
- The patient is informed about possible complications:
- Bleeding from the rectum if polyps are removed.
- Abdominal pain which do not disappear quickly after a completed examination, may lead to suspicion of bowel perforation. This may occasionally occur during diagnostic colonoscopy, while it is more common after biopsy/sling resection.
The physician in charge of the examination is following up test results and informs the patient about any further investigation and control.