After an oesophageal dilatation or stent procedure

An oesophageal dilatation or oesophageal stent procedure is intended to treat swallowing problems if your food pipe becomes narrow or blocked.

What happens after the procedure

After an oesophageal dilatation or stent procedure, we take you to the recovery room. You need to rest here until the sedation (medicine to make you relaxed) wears off.

If you are staying in hospital

If you are staying in the hospital, we:

• take you back to your ward
• check your blood pressure and pulse regularly
• put a clip on your finger to measure the oxygen level in your blood

About 4 hours after the procedure, we give you a contrast agent to swallow again that shows on an imaging monitor. We then take pictures of your food pipe. This is to make sure that the procedure has worked. When we have done this test, you should be able to eat and drink again.

When you start to eat, it is important to follow the advice that we give you. If you have any pain, please tell your nurse.

If you are not staying in hospital

If you are an outpatient and not staying in hospital, you will be allowed to go home. You need to stay in the hospital for a few days if we put in a stent during your procedure. Otherwise, you can go home about 6 hours after the procedure if you feel OK.

You need a responsible adult to take you home by private transport. We do not recommend using public transport. This is unsafe if you do not feel well. Please also arrange to have somebody stay with you overnight while you recover.