Direct referral for Gastroscopy or Colonoscopy maybe appropriate for your patient if the following criteria are met:

-Procedure indication is consistent with NHMRC guidelines.
-Age < 80
-BMI < 35
-No history of cardiac, respiratory disorders including sleep apnea or chronic kidney disease
-No anticoagulant or anti-platelet medication use (Aspirin is ok)
-Patient is able to provide informed consent
-No previous history of failed endoscopic procedures or procedure related complications

Referrals for General Endoscopy to Austin Health.

For patients interested to have their gastroscopy or colonoscopy at Austin Health please refer directly to Austin Health.

Second opinions .

A/Prof Efthymiou is happy to see patients referred for second opinions. In this context there is a significant amount of extra work involved in obtaining results of previous investigations and reviewing these results and as such, these patients need to be identified up-front and booked for an extended consultation. Please kindly ensure that this is clear on your referral as it helps us expedite and streamline your patient's care.

Referrals for Advanced Endoscopy.

Advanced endoscopic procedures carry a higher risk of complications and as such A/Prof Efthymiou prefers that all of these patients are reviewed prior to their procedures.