Head of R&D, Chief Operating Officer of New Jersey Operations & Director, Enanta
Search every verified Muthusamy R.ph. interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a September 2020 interview, Dr. Raman Muthusamy, medical director of endoscopy at UCLA Health, discussed challenges with bowel preparation for colonoscopy in hospitalized patients. He described scenarios where patients cannot drink prep due to medical conditions, requiring nasogastric tube instillation, and noted that impaired motility and narcotic use can prolong the prep process. Muthusamy stated that inadequate bowel prep can obscure subtle lesions behind large folds in the colon, increasing the risk of missed findings. He also mentioned a theoretical risk of combustible gases in the colon igniting during electric cautery, particularly for large polyp removal, which he said motivates careful attention to adequate prep. Muthusamy discussed the use of PureVu technology in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He said that for inpatients, suboptimal prep quality often leads to repeat exams, additional costs, and resource use. He described a case where PureVu improved a patient's prep score from suboptimal to excellent, allowing a thorough exam that avoided a missed lesion and the need for a repeat procedure. For outpatients traveling long distances, he noted that inadequate prep can require additional trips or hotel stays, adding financial and logistical burdens.
“For hospitalized patients who can't fully prep for colonoscopy due to medical conditions or impaired motility, we often have to place a nasogastric tube to instill prep, and sometimes double the prep volume, but even then, achieving adequate bowel cleansing can be a significant challenge.”
“Inadequate bowel prep can obscure subtle lesions during colonoscopy, especially behind large folds in the colon, which increases the risk of missing critical findings that could impact patient outcomes.”
“There is a theoretical risk of combustible gases in the colon igniting during procedures using electric cautery, which is why we are very particular about ensuring adequate bowel prep, especially for large polyp removal.”
“Inpatients often require multiple attempts at colonoscopy prep, which leads to needless delays, increased healthcare costs, and consumes valuable GI lab resources, all while causing discomfort and inconvenience to the patient.”
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Muthusamy R.ph..