Can You Die From A Colonoscopy?

Colonoscopy fatal complications occur between 0.23 and 0.91 per 10,000 participants undergoing colonoscopy after positive FIT.

Reports have shown that the colonoscopy-related mortality is underreported in many complication registries.

While very rare, deaths have been reported following colonoscopies, primarily in people who had intestinal perforations occur during the test. Choosing the outpatient facility where you have the procedure may impact your risk.

Although colonoscopy has established benefits for the detection and prevention of colorectal cancer, a new study has found that the procedure is associated with risks of serious complications, including death.

The population study by researchers at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Toronto, which was published in the journal Gastroenterology, is the first large-scale study to examine colonoscopy risks among Canadians.

“Until now, the most widely quoted complication rates for colonoscopy were from case series performed by expert endoscopists,” says lead ICES investigator, Dr. Linda Rabeneck.

“Our objectives were to evaluate the rates of bleeding, perforation and death associated with outpatient colonoscopy and their risk factors in a population-based study.”