Sorbitol can be the cause of colonic explosion

Abstract

I read the article by Josemanders et al., ”Colonic explosion during endoscopic polypectomy: avoidable complication or bad luck?” with great interest [1]. They concluded that ”the occurrence of intracolonic gas explosion during polypectomy is, practically, an unavoidable complication.” However, the cleansing solution that they used in their patient contained sorbitol, which I believe can yield products that are combustible after bacterial fermentation. Generally, explosion is a rare event during electrocautery treatment in the colon. The cause of the explosion is ignition of gas containing hydrogen (at concentrations greater than 4 %) or methane (at concentrations greater than 5 %), and oxygen [2].