###Human: I have been advised endoscopy for Barrett's esophagus. I am scared of the sedation because I have varicose veins. ###Assistant: Hi. I have read through your query in detail. Please find my observations below. I can see that your leg has developed varicose veins (attachment removed to protect patient identity). This happens due to back flow of blood into the superficial venous system of the legs. Wearing a compression stocking will maintain the forward flow, but this is not a permanent solution. In patients with varicose veins, a venous doppler study of the affected lower limb is recommended, and this will tell the competency of the saphenofemoral junction (at the groin) and the saphenopopliteal junction (at the knee) which are the main valves that regulate the blood flow from the superficial to the deep venous system. Any collateral veins with incompetent perforators will also be known. Latest techniques involve laser ablation of the veins involved, and this prevents any complications of varicose veins. I guess your vascular doctor might have told you about varicose veins in detail. The endoscopy procedure can be done without any increased risk due to varicose veins. The sedative injection will not cause any problems due to varicose veins. So, you need not worry about that. Please be assured that the person who passed away during endoscopy might have had a different reason or underlying illness due to which the patient was unable to tolerate the procedure. Please stay calm and go for the procedure without hesitation.