What does the local anaesthetic throat spray involve?
If you have chosen not to have a sedative injection before a gastroscopy, before your examination, we will spray the back of your throat with a local anaesthetic to numb it (preventing any pain). You will still have a gag reflex but will feel the tube (scope) much less as you swallow it. The numbing lasts for about half an hour. If you decide to have the throat spray, you will remain fully conscious during the procedure and will remember it afterwards. You will be aware of movement of the tube and we will need to introduce some air into your stomach to allow us to see inside it; this can feel like you are ‘bloated’ and you might feel burpy for a while. Having the throat spray is a good alternative if you cannot have a sedative for any reason, or if you do not want to be sleepy for the rest of the day. If you choose to have the throat spray without a sedative, you will be able to leave the department as soon as the examination is complete, which is usually within half an hour of the app
