Objective The study evaluated factors associated with abdominal pain during colonoscopy. Methods This was a cross-sectional observational study that evaluated patients who underwent colonoscopy between February 2014 and February 2015. Physical characteristics, surgical history and previous colonoscopies, indication and current examination conditions, fentanyl and midazolam dose, and pain level were analyzed. Significance level adopted: p < 0.05. Chi-squared test was used for association of categorical variables, Student's t-test was applied for comparison of means, and Spearman's coefficient was used for correlation. Results A total of 566 women and 391 men with mean age of 54.81 years and mean BMI of 27,064 were evaluated. Of the total, 29 (3.0%) had mild pain, 42 (4.4%) had moderate pain, and 18 (1.9%) had severe pain. Women were less tolerant (p = 0.011) and had longer cecal intubation times (p = 0.001). Mean duration of colonoscopy and mean dose of midazolam were higher in patients with pain (p = 0.001), (p < 0.001*). Among the 39 patients with an incomplete examination, 8 reported pain (p = 0.049). Conclusion Female gender and prolonged intubation time were significantly associated with abdominal pain during colonoscopy. Patients with discomfort had a higher failure rate on the exam. Additional doses of midazolam given to patients with pain were not effective.

Objective To analyze the safety degree of drugs used in colonoscopy during conscious sedation in patients developing respiratory depression. Methods Cross-sectional observational study that evaluated 1120 patients who underwent colonoscopy between February 2015 and February 2016. Physical characteristics, surgical history and previous colonoscopies, indication and conditions of the current examination, fentanyl and midazolam doses and subsequent complications were analyzed. Level of significance: p < 0.05. Chi-square test was used for association of categorical variables, whereas Student's t test was used to compare means and Spearman's coefficient for correlation. Results There were 661 female (59%) and 459 (41%) male patients, with a mean age of 54.90 (20–87) years and BMI of 27.00 (14.5–45.4). Of the 1120 patients, only 2 (0.2%) had respiratory depression, reversed with lanexat. Patients who had complications were of both genders, with a body mass index of 21.25 and 28.7. There was a correlation between the required dose of fentanyl and age (p < 0.001 to −0.121 Spearman's coefficient), as well as midazolam (p < 0.001 – Spearman's coefficient −0.452) and increasing age was associated with a lower dose of the drug. Conclusion The number of patients with complications was 0.17%. The age of the patient showed an inverse association, i.e., the older the patient, the lower the required dose of medication. The drugs used in colonoscopy show a high degree of safety, corroborating their frequent use for superficial/conscious sedation in this procedure.