Published online Nov 14, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i42.9387
Peer-review started: June 22, 2016
First decision: August 22, 2016
Revised: September 6, 2016
Accepted: October 10, 2016
Article in press: October 10, 2016
Published online: November 14, 2016
Processing time: 143 Days and 18.2 Hours
To examine the influence of night duty (ND) on endoscopic therapy for biliary duct stones.
The subjects consisted of 133 patients who received initial endoscopic therapy for biliary duct stones performed by eight endoscopists after they had been on (ND group, n = 34 patients) or not [day duty (DD) group, n = 99 patients]. Patient characteristics (age, gender, history of abdominal surgery, transverse diameter of the largest stone, number of stones), years of experience of the endoscopists, endoscopic procedures [sphincterotomy, papillary balloon dilation (EPBD), papillary large balloon dilation (EPLBD)], and outcomes of initial endoscopy (procedure time; rate of stone removal by the first endoscopist; procedure success rate by the first endoscopist: removal of stones or endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage; rate of final stone removal; final procedure success rate; complications; hospitalization after the procedure) were compared retrospectively between the two groups. History of abdominal surgery and treatment outcomes were also compared between the groups for each of the four endoscopists who performed most of the procedures in the ND group.
There were no significant differences regarding the number of treatments performed by each endoscopist or the years of experience between the ND and DD groups. The frequency of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography procedures did not differ significantly between the groups. There were also no significant differences regarding patient characteristics: age, gender, history of abdominal surgery (ND 7: Billroth II 4, R-Y 3; DD 18: double tract reconstruction 1, Billroth I 3, Billroth II 6, R-Y 7, duodenoduodenostomy for annular pancreas 1), transverse diameter of largest stone, and number of stones between the two groups. Among the treatment procedures, the endoscopic sphincterotomy and EPBD rates did not differ significantly between the groups. However, EPLBD was performed more frequently in the ND group [47.1% (16/34) vs 19.2% (19/99)]. Regarding outcomes, there were no significant differences in the rate of stone removal, procedure success rate, complications (ND: pancreatitis 1; DD: pancreatitis 6, duodenal bleeding 1, decreased blood pressure 1, hypoxia 2), or hospitalization after the procedure. However, the procedure time was significantly longer in the ND group (71.5 ± 44.7 vs 54.2 ± 28.8). Among the four endoscopists, there were no significant differences in patient history of abdominal surgery, removal of stones, or procedure success rate. However, the procedure time for one endoscopist was significantly longer in the ND group.
The time required for endoscopic therapy for bile duct stones might be influenced by ND.
Core tip: Sleep deprivation affects brain activation, and therefore disturbs cognitive ability and reduces work efficiency. In the clinical field, night duty (ND) might affect surgical outcomes and the number of medical errors. In this study, we examined the influence of ND on endoscopic therapy for biliary duct stones. The procedure was significantly longer when performed by endoscopists after they had been on ND. The time required for endoscopic therapy for bile duct stones might be influenced by ND.