There are a number of possible major complications that can occur. These are very uncommon, however, your overall health will play a role in your likelihood of developing complications and how well you will recover. For example, patients with severe heart disease, diabetes, serious gastrointestinal or lung disease have a higher chance of complications occurring than those that are healthier.
Depending on each individual situation, a major complication may lead to a hospital stay, or in very rare cases, surgery, permanent disability or even loss of life. Loss of life occurs in 2 out of 1,000 ERCPs.