In the United States, use of anesthesia during gastrointestinal endoscopies and colonoscopies appears to have increased substantially from 2003 to 2009, according to a retrospective analysis of claims data during this study period. The proportion of procedures that used anesthesia services increased from about 14% in 2003 to more than 30% in 2009. Researchers noted that more than 65% of services were delivered to low-risk patients. Use ranged from 13% in the western part of the U.S. to 59% in the northeastern

Abstract: JAMA, March 21, 2012.