Upper Endoscopy

LOCATION: Your exam will be at Northfield Hospital. Enter at the Emergency/Surgery Center entrance.

Arrival

Please arrive at the hospital 45 minutes before your scheduled procedure time. When you arrive, come to the Emergency Department/Surgery Center entrance on the north side of the hospital. Please check in at the Surgery Center registration desk, go through the doors to the left once you enter the hospital. Inform the registration representative of your name and the procedure for which you are scheduled. The representative will notify the endoscopy staff of your arrival.

If you have questions about this exam, please call:

  • 507-646-6000 (Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
  • 507-646-1100 (After hours Emergency Department)

About Your Upper Endoscopy

internal organs labeled

An upper endoscopy is an exam that allows your doctor to examine your esophagus, stomach, and first part of the small intestine with a thin, flexible tube called an endoscope. It is performed to evaluate symptoms such as persistent upper abdominal pain, bleeding, nausea, vomiting or difficulty swallowing.

The procedure is performed in a special endoscopy suite. The entire procedure, including pre-op and recovery, takes approximately 2 hours upon arrival. The actual exam normally takes approximately 15 minutes. Just before the exam begins, an RN administers medication to help you relax.

If your doctor finds abnormal tissue, he or she may take a small sample for laboratory testing. The doctor may also remove any abnormal tissue or growths that may be present. Results of any laboratory testing are sent to your primary doctor within 7 to 10 days and will be shared with you.

Preparing for Your Upper Endoscopy

Anesthesia is most safely delivered when your stomach is empty. You may only drink clear liquids (such as water, apple juice, 7-Up, black coffee, or tea). Do not drink anything for 4 hours before your procedure.

Do not eat any solid food after 11:45 p.m. the night before your procedure. You may take your usual medications with a swallow of water, unless otherwise advised by your doctor. Please make a list of your current medications and bring it with you on the day of your procedure.

If you take blood thinning medications, please ask the provider who manages these medications to see if you should stop taking them for a period of time before the procedure.

After the Exam

AFTER YOUR PROCEDURE, YOU CANNOT DRIVE THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE A TAXI, UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY A RESPONSIBLE PARTY THAT WILL STAY WITH YOU.

  • Resume taking your medications unless otherwise instructed by your healthcare provider. 
  • You may resume your regular activity the next day as you feel able. 
  • Resume your regular diet when you feel able.

Seek medical help if you experience: 

  • Severe nausea or vomiting. 
  • Continuous abdominal pain with or without bleeding.
  • A temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater.

Anticipating Costs

Your out of pocket expenses for your procedure are determined by your individual insurance policy’s benefits, your policy’s deductible and coinsurance amounts, and by whether or not tissue, polyps or tumors are sampled or removed. Before your procedure, we encourage you to call your insurance company to tell them the procedure is billed as a hospital (not a clinic) outpatient service and to ask: 

  • Whether Northfield Hospital is in network 
  • What you can expect to pay if the findings are normal 
  • What you can expect to pay if tissue, polyps or tumors are removed / sampled

Northfield Hospital + Clinics will submit charges for the services you receive to your insurance company. Your insurance company will determine how much of the bill you will pay and how much they will pay. You will receive a bill from Northfield Hospital + Clinics for the amount you owe.