Early Flexible Sigmoidoscopy Improves Clinical Outcomes in Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

Objectives: Guidelines recommend performing a flexible sigmoidoscopy in patients hospitalized with acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC). However, it is unclear if time to sigmoidoscopy affects relevant clinical outcomes. We aimed to assess the impact of early sigmoidoscopy on clinical outcomes using a well-characterized cohort of patients with ASUC. Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective study of all patients hospitalized with ASUC from January 1, 2012 to November 1, 2021. Early sigmoidoscopy was defined as occurring within 72 hours of admission while delayed sigmoidoscopy was defined as occurring >72 hours after admission. Primary outcomes were cumulative days of intravenous (IV) corticosteroid (CS) use, length of hospital stay, and colectomy rates. Secondary outcomes were time to infliximab (IFX) rescue and inpatient opioid medication use. Results: A total of 112 patients hospitalized with ASUC who underwent sigmoidoscopy were included in the analysis. Eighty-seven patients (78%) had early sigmoidoscopy and 25 (22%) had delayed sigmoidoscopy. Patients in the early sigmoidoscopy group were exposed to significantly fewer days of IV CS (4.5 vs 9.2 days; P