Gastrointestinal endoscopy clinics of North America
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Gastrointest. Endosc. Clin. N. Am. · Apr 2004
ReviewEfficacy, safety, and limitations in current practice of sedation and analgesia.
The ease and availability of endoscopy as a diagnostic and therapeutic modality for gastrointestinal disorders has greatly increased the number of procedures performed in the United States. One of the main factors in achieving a flawless procedure is the use of sedation and analgesia in endoscopy. This article examines the efficacy, safety, and limitations inherent in the current practice of sedation and analgesia.
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Gastrointest. Endosc. Clin. N. Am. · Apr 2004
ReviewPatient-controlled analgesia and sedation in gastrointestinal endoscopy.
Variations in pain threshold, drug tolerance, and visceral sensitivity among patients make it difficult to anticipate the appropriate dose of sedation for gastrointestinal endoscopy. Propofol was recently introduced for sedation in endoscopy and has a rapid onset and offset of action, making it an ideal substance for patient-controlled administration. Several controlled trials have demonstrated that during colonoscopy, patient-controlled application of propofol alone or in combination with various opioids is effective,safe, and yields high patient satisfaction. Target-controlled infusion of propofol has shown encouraging results for prolonged upper endoscopy procedures like endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography.
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The use of propofol for GI endoscopy has left the realm of experimentation and is now a viable alternative to standard sedation and analgesia. In the hands of appropriately trained gastroenterologists and registered nurses, propofol has been shown to be superior to standard sedation and analgesia in terms of patient satisfaction and comfort and shorter recovery parameters. Comparative studies have found it to be as safe as the regimens that are used for standard sedation and analgesia. ⋯ Numerous regulatory groups are carefully scrutinizing the practice of sedation and analgesia. It seems that ventilatory monitoring will be required for at least a subset of patients. Although hypercapnia and apnea can be reliably measured, the most important questions to be answered are if such monitoring affects patient outcomes and which patients are at risk for apnea and alveolar hypoventilation.