CONSCIOUS SEDATION

Abstract

Conscious sedation is a technique that originated in the practice of oral surgery and dentistry (Ka1lar, 1991 and Nemiroff, 1993). It is popular and widely used to supplement local or regional anesthesia during a variety of short term, therapeutic, and diagnostic procedures. Many patients prefer the light sleep of conscious sedation and analgesia versus general anesthesia and like the added amnesic benefit that many of the medications provide. The goals of patient care are to provide adequate safety, while allaying patient fears and anxiety.

In recent years out-patient surgery has drastically increased because of advances in technology, pharmacology and anaesthetic techiques. In 1995 close to 4 million procedures at outpatient surgery centers in the United States. By the year 2000 approximately 70% of patient care will be provided in alternative setting such as physician offices or free-standing facilities (Micheal and Merich 1990). To day the anaesthetiC technique of choice for a significant portion of out patient surgery is intravenous conscious sedation and analgesia. many physicians , nurses and patients prefer the administration of conscious sedation and analgesia over general anaesthesia for patients who meet appropriate selection criteria. In the future an increase in