Gastrointestinal endoscopy in pregnancy

Table 1 General principles for endoscopy in pregnant women¹

1	Always have a strong indication, particularly in high-risk pregnancies
2	Endoscopy should be postponed to second trimester whenever possible
3	Lowest effective dose of sedative medications should be used
4	Especially category A or B drugs should be used
5	Procedure time should be very short
6	To avoid vena caval or aortic compression, pregnant women should be positioned in the left pelvic tilt or left lateral position
7	Fetal heartbeat should be detected before sedation and also after the endoscopic procedure
8	Obstetric support should be available whenever pregnancy-related complications occur
9	Placental abruption, imminent delivery, ruptured membranes, or eclampsia are defined as obstetric complications of endoscopy

¹Based on Qureshi et al[2] (2005).