What is Conscious Sedation?
Conscious sedation is a type of sedation in which the sedated individual can respond to verbal directions, but he or she feels little to no pain, and has an altered level of consciousness. This level of sedation is used for medical procedures in which it is necessary for the patient to be responsive, and also for minor procedures which do not merit the use of general anesthesia, and for procedures involving patients who cannot cooperate with care providers. Like any form of anesthesia and sedation, there are some risks to conscious sedation, but it is significantly less dangerous than general anesthesia.
Some common reasons to use conscious sedation include biopsies and minor surgeries, along with dental procedures. Conscious sedation dentistry is offered to young children who may have trouble complying with requests from the dentist and the staff, and to adults who experience significant anxiety about dental appointments. Some dentists actively advertise conscious sedation as an option, to appeal to patients who dread visits to the dentist.
Patients are carefully reviewed before being selected as candidates for conscious sedation, and the doctor also goes over the risks, advantages, and alternatives with the patient. Once the determination to use conscious sedation is made, the patient is given sedatives which cause him or her to relax, along with painkillers which are designed to eliminate pain from the procedure. During the period of conscious sedation, an anesthesiologist or certified nurse anesthesiologist monitors the patient at all times, looking at heart rate, breathing, and dissolved oxygen levels in the blood, so that adverse reactions can be quickly identified and addressed.
In some cases, patients are also given drugs which are supposed to help them forget the procedure. Medical procedures can be traumatizing, and these drugs are designed to reduce bad memories which could cause nightmares, panic attacks, and other unpleasant symptoms. After the procedure is over, the patient is taken into recovery and monitored until he or she is fully alert. It usually takes around 48 hours to fully recover from conscious sedation, during which the patient should not drive, make critical decisions, or engage in tasks which require a high level of concentration or fine motor skills.
There are some side effects associated with conscious sedation. Patients can feel nauseous, sometimes vomiting when they wake up, and headaches and a sense of being hung over are common. It is important to drink lots of fluids after conscious sedation, and to report lingering side effects to a doctor.
In the medical community, there is some debate over conscious sedation. There are concerns that this sedation technique is sometimes used in cases where it is inappropriate, and the drugs must be used very carefully to ensure that the patient is sedated, but not unconscious. Organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics have specific guidelines about conscious sedation which they recommend to their members, relying on data from studies and reports from doctors to establish the safest conscious sedation techniques.
Written by S.E. Smith
