About Your Capsule Endoscopy

This information will help you get ready for your capsule endoscopy at MSK.

A capsule endoscopy is a procedure that lets your doctor see inside your small intestine. You will swallow a tiny camera that’s inside a capsule, about the size of a vitamin. As the camera goes through your digestive system, it will take pictures of your small intestine. These pictures will be sent to a data recorder that’s attached to a belt you will wear around your waist.

You will wear the belt for 8 hours. You may leave the hospital during this time, but you can’t have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Before you have an MRI, you will need to pass the capsule in a bowel movement (poop).

7 days before your procedure

A staff member will call you to confirm your appointment. They will ask you for a phone number where you can be reached 3 days before the procedure.

Buy supplies for your clear liquid diet

You will need to follow a clear liquid diet before your surgery. Now is a good time to buy your supplies. For a list of clear liquids you can drink, read the section “Follow a clear liquid diet.”

You should also buy liquid simethicone (infant drops) to take before your procedure.

5 days before your procedure

If you take insulin, ask the doctor who prescribes it for you how much you should take the night before and the morning of your procedure. This is because you will be eating a lighter diet than normal.

If you take an iron supplement, stop taking it 5 days before your procedure.

3 days before your procedure

You will get a call from a nurse in the Endoscopy Prep Lab. The nurse will review these instructions with you and ask you questions about your medical history. The nurse will also review your medications and tell you which to take the morning of your procedure.

The day before your procedure

Note the time of your appointment

A staff member from the Admitting Office will call you after 12 p.m. (noon) the day before your procedure. If you’re scheduled for your procedure on a Monday, the staff member will call you the Friday before.

The staff member will tell you what time you should arrive at the hospital for your procedure. They will also tell you where to go for your procedure. If you don’t receive a call by 5 p.m. the business day before your procedure, please call 212-639-7882.

If you need to cancel your procedure for any reason, call the doctor who scheduled it for you.

Stop taking certain medications

If you take Sucralfate (Carafate^®), aluminum hydroxide/magnesium hydroxide, (Mylanta^®, Maalox^®), or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto Bismol^®), stop taking it 24 hours before your procedure.

If you have questions about your medications, call the Endoscopy Prep Lab at 212-639-5750.

Follow a clear liquid diet

You will need to follow a clear liquid diet the day before your procedure. A clear liquid diet includes only liquids you can see through. Examples are listed in the following table.

While you’re on this diet:

• Don’t eat any solid foods.
• Try to drink at least 1 (8-ounce) glass of clear liquid every hour while you’re awake. Don’t drink or eat anything red, purple or orange.
• Drink plenty of liquids other than water, coffee, and tea until 8 p.m. Starting at 8 p.m., drink water only.

‌  Drink only water during the 12 hours before the procedure. Do not eat or drink anything else.

The day of your procedure

Take liquid infants’ simethicone

Take 1.2 milliliters (mL) of infants’ liquid simethicone the morning of your procedure before coming in.

Things to remember

• Wear a loose-fitting, 2-piece outfit. Don’t wear a one-piece outfit such as a dress, overalls, or a jumpsuit. This will make it hard to put the sensors that help get the data on your abdomen (belly).
• Plan to spend the entire day in New York City. You may leave the hospital after you swallow the capsule, but you must return 8 hours later. You may shop, watch a movie, or visit any attractions during that time.
• Keep your cell phone away from the recorder as much as possible.

Where to go

Your procedure will take place at one of these locations:

David H. Koch Center
530 East 74^th Street
New York, NY 10021
Take the elevator to the 8^th floor.

Endoscopy Suite at Memorial Hospital (MSK’s main hospital)
1275 York Avenue (between East 67^th and East 68^th Streets)
New York, NY 10065
Take the B elevator to the 2^nd floor. Turn right and enter the Endoscopy/Surgical Day Hospital Suite through the glass doors.

Visit www.msk.org/parking for parking information and directions to all MSK locations.

What to expect

Your doctor will review why you’re having the test and ask you to sign a consent form. Your nurse will explain how the test works and will attach special sensors to your abdominal (belly) area. The sensors are held in place with adhesive (special glue). Your nurse will attach a waist belt for you to wear, which holds the recording equipment.

Your nurse will give you the video capsule to swallow at about 8:30 a.m. Before you leave the Endoscopy Suite, your nurse will give you instructions with the information you will need for the day, including what you can eat and drink and when. It will also have the phone number for the Endoscopy Suite on it and what time you will need to go back to the hospital. The following are general guidelines for you to follow the day of your procedure after you swallow the capsule:

• 2 hours after you swallow the capsule you can drink clear liquids. Refer to the clear liquid diet table for examples.
• 4 hours after you swallow the pill you can eat a light lunch.
• At 4 p.m. you must return to the Endoscopy Suite.

After your procedure

• Your doctor will review the information from the data recorder. They will contact you within 2 weeks with the results.
• The capsule will pass with your bowel movement. You may or may not see it. You shouldn’t feel any pain or discomfort while passing the capsule. The capsule can be safely flushed down the toilet.

When to call your healthcare provider

Call your healthcare provider if you have:

• A fever of 101 °F (38.3 °C) or higher.
• Trouble swallowing.
• Chest or abdominal pain.
• Nausea (feeling like you’re going to throw up) or vomiting (throwing up).
• Abdominal bloating or swelling.
• Any unexpected or unexplained problems.

Contact information

If you have any questions or concerns before your procedure, call the Endoscopy Prep Lab at 212-639-5750. You can reach a staff member Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For questions after your procedure, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., call Dr. Delia Calo’s office at 212-639-7678. After 5 p.m., during the weekend, and on holidays, call 212-639-2000 and ask for the Gastroenterology (GI) fellow on call.