Adolescents undergoing outpatient upper and lower GI endoscopy due to abdominal pain are at risk for hypotension on induction due to all of the following EXCEPT:
a) GI bleeding
b) Prolonged NPO times
c) Poor PO intake
d) Bowel preparation regimen
Answer a. Poor oral intake is common in patients with chronic abdominal pain. In addition, adolescents are commonly scheduled for afternoon endoscopy (due to the need for infants to be earlier in the day). Finally, adolescents tend to be more compliant with the prescribed bowel regimen prior to endoscopy. The combination of these factors leads to a significant risk of hypovolemia (and thus hypotension) at the time of induction.