Noncontact magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy for infection-free gastric examination during the COVID-19 pandemic: a pilot, open-label, randomized trial

Background and study aims Endoscopists have been at increased risk because of their direct contact with patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. For patients, being diagnosed with and monitored for gastrointestinal cancer and digestive diseases in timely fashion has been challenging, given pandemic-related adjustments in endoscopy departments. We developed a novel noncontact magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy (ncMCE) system in our medical center. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of ncMCE for gastric examination. Patients and methods Patients were randomly assigned to groups that received ncMCE or MCE in a 1:1 ratio from March 26, 2020 to April 26, 2020. Primary endpoints were feasibility assessed by completion rate (CR) and safety based on the occurrence of adverse events (AEs) including infection. Secondary endpoints included maneuverability of endoscopists, pre-procedure perception and post-procedure satisfaction of patients, gastric examination time (GET), and diagnostic yield (DY). Results Forty patients were enrolled with 100 % CR in both groups without any AEs. Neither the endoscopist nor the patients were infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within 14 days after gastric examination. There were no significant differences in maneuverability (19.3 vs. 20.0, P = 0.179), pre-procedure perception (9 vs. 9, P = 0.626) and post-procedure satisfaction (45 vs. 44, P = 0.999), ord DY (20 % vs. 30 %, P = 0.465). Conclusions ncMCE is a feasible and safe method of gastric examination, which has the potential to protect both medical staff and patients from COVID-19 infection while providing serving as an essential endoscopy service.