Objective To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of Hydromorphone combined with Propofol therapy in painless gastroscopy combined with colonoscopy examination in elder patients.Methods Sixty-one patients aged 65-80 years underwent a painless gastroscopy combined with colonoscopy examination in the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2015 to January 2016.The patients were randomly divided into the Hydromorphone combined with Propofol group (Group H,n=31) and the Fentanyl combined with propofol group (Group F,n=30).Results The levels (H vs F group) of VAS at 5,15,30 min after anesthetic recovery were lower in H group thanin F group[(2.4±0.5) vs (3.4±0.6),(2.0±0.5) vs (3.2±0.6),(1.6±0.4) vs (2.6±0.7) respectively,(all P＜0.05)],and those of ramsay sedation scores at 5,15,30,45,and 60 min after anesthetic recovery were lower in H group than in F group[(2.6 ± 0.4) vs (3.3 ± 0.5),(2.3±0.5) vs (2.9±0.4),(2.1±0.3) vs (2.6±0.3),(1.9±0.3) vs (2.2±0.3),(1.8±0.3) vs (2.0±0.3) (all P＜0.05)] respectively.Additionally,the incidence rates (H vs F group) of nausea and vomit (3.2％ vs.26.7％),respiratory depression (0.0％ vs.33.3％) and restlessness (6.5％ vs.30.0％) within 60 min after anesthetic recovery were lower in the group H than in the group F (all P＜ 0.05).However,there were no statistical differences in the indexes of postoperative gastrointestinal function between two groups (all P＞0.05).Conclusions The clinical efficiency of hydromorphone combined with propofol used in painless gastroscopy combined colonoscopy examination is favourable and safe without increasing postoperative adverse reactions in elder patients.Hydromorphone combined with propofol is superior to fentanyl combined with propofol as a general intravenous anesthesia.