Background/aims: Delayed postpolypectomy bleeding occurs in approximately 1% to 2% of all patients undergoing colonoscopic polypectomy, and this rate increases to 6% in patients with large (>2 cm) colon polyps. Sucralfate can protect the mucosa and promote its healing. This study was conducted to investigate whether colonoscopic spraying of sucralfate powder on polypectomy wounds can prevent delayed postoperative bleeding.
Methods: This randomized controlled trial included patients with polyps (size≥0.5cm) who had undergone colonoscopic polypectomy at our hospital between May 2023 and January 2024. After polypectomy, the patients received standard treatment for immediate bleeding. Then, they were randomly allocated to either a sucralfate group (prophylactic spraying of sucralfate powder [3g] on polypectomy wounds) or a control group. All patients were monitored for delayed bleeding within 28 days after colonoscopy.
Results: A total of 160 patients were divided into the sucralfate and control groups (80 per group). The baseline characteristics were balanced between the groups. The rate of delayed postpolypectomy bleeding (0% vs 6.3%, respectively; P=0.029) and postpolypectomy overt bloody stool (2.4% vs 18.8%, respectively; P=0.001) were lower in the sucralfate group than in the control group. The duration of freedom from delayed bleeding was longer in the sucralfate group than in the control group (P=0.024). Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed the additional sucralfate spray as an independent factor against postpolypectomy overt bloody stool (RR, 0.03; 95% CI, 0.003-0.43; P=0.009).
Conclusion: Colonoscopic spraying of sucralfate powder is a safe approach with potential to reduce the risk of delayed postpolypectomy bleeding.
Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American College of Gastroenterology.