Nursing Care during ERCP

Introduction: Endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography (ERCP) is an endoscopic procedure that allows a detailed examination and diagnose of diseases of the bile ducts and the pancreatic ducts. Abroad, this procedure is considered a routine one, whereas in our country, falling short of specialized personnel, facilities and environments it is used little or not at all. The ERCP nurse should be specialized and should perform all the duties that a nurse performs in a operation room. Objective: Since in the “Xhaferr Kongoli” hospital in Elbasan was inaugurated the endoscopic department which includes ERCP the objective of this theme is emphasizing the role of ERCP and the performance of the nurse during it. Methodology: 14 clinical cases which were diagnosed and treated with ERCP were taken into study. 6 were pancreatic illness cases and 8 were bile ducts illness cases. For the patients with pancreatic illnesses ERCP was used in 100% of the cases for diagnosis and in 83, 33% of the cases for treatment. In bile ducts illnesses ERCP was used in 87,5% of cased for diagnosis and in 75% of cases for treatment. Complications were observed in 33, 33% of cases in the first group and in 37,5% of cases in the second group. The complications which were manifested during the procedure included the decrease of TA, respiratory depression, throat and abdominal pains which were quickly normalized with the intervention of the medical team. Conclusions: ERCP is a mini-invasive procedure which creates the possibility of resolving problems which before required the execution of more invasive procedures that couldn’t resolve permanently the problem of the patient. It can also be used as a palliative procedure in case of non-operable tumors improving much the life of the patient. The role of the nurse during ERCP involves not only the care during and after the procedure, but also involves informing the patient about the preparations he should make and the complications that can occur during it. The nurse of ERCP serves as an intermediate between the doctor and the patient and is the advocate of the latest.Keywords: ERCP, radiology room, pancreatic diseases, etc