Worldwide, the post-colonoscopy complication rate remained stable or even declined over the past 15 years. The findings of this meta-analysis encourage continued efforts to achieve and maintain safety targets in colonoscopy practice.

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Bowel preparation for colonoscopy should be safe, without clinically relevant shifts in serum potassium levels. It has been shown that polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions may cause hypokalemia, but the prevalence, magnitude, and clinical consequences of hypokalemia associated with low-volume PEG bowel preparation are not known. We recently encountered 2 cases of severe postcolonoscopy hypokalemia with fatal outcome at our secondary care hospital. Both patients received low-volume PEG solutions before colonoscopy. The first patient was a 72-year-old woman with a 3-month history of diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss who was referred for colonoscopy. Her medical history included arterial hypertension and a cerebrovascular event. Her medications consisted of a b-blocker Longstanding vomiting and diarrhea