What are some procedures that may be performed before an endoscopy?

Procedures that occur before an endoscopy include gut preparation and sedation, notes WebMD. Endoscopy is a nonsurgical procedure that doctors perform to examine a patient's digestive tract.

Gut preparation involves taking a laxative on the day before the procedure to clear stool in the upper digestive tract, says WebMD. Doctors advise patients to avoid eating anything six to eight hours before the procedure. A patient also receives a sedative injection before an endoscopy to ensure comfort during the procedure. A doctor injects the sedative into the vein to initiate a light sleep and offer relation. In severe cases, patients receive general anesthesia to give them total sleep.