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What is Sedation?
During your procedure, you will be given intravenous medications that will help you relax. Typically this is a combination of a Fentanyl and Versed. Both of these medications are short-acting. Overall, this is similar to sedation you might receive for a colonoscopy or a root canal.
Fentanyl is a short acting narcotic medication that helps with pain. Versed is a short acting benzodiazepine (muscle relaxer) that helps calm patients.
Benefits of Sedation
Given this sedation, most patients have no recollection of the procedure. Patients are generally sedated and think that they are asleep. They are in a twilight state of sleep, however, and can easily be aroused and respond to questions.
Risks
The major risk with this type of sedation is the patient drifting into a deeper level of sedation. If this occurs, there is the potential for serious medical complications such as aspiration, respiratory arrest, etc. However, if this occurs, there are special medications that can be used to 'reverse' the sedation. The happens rarely--we have had only one case in the last 6 years where we have had to give reversal agents.
Reducing Your Risk
Overall, moderate sedation is a safe way to make pain procedures easier. Most events occur in patients who have serious underlying medical conditions, such as heart or lung disease. Patients with COPD or patietns who are overweight or have sleep apnea are at higher risk of apnea during the procedure. If you have any of these conditions, please be sure to discuss them with your physician beforehand. If the risk is high enough, the procedure may be done in a hospital setting with a higher level of care available.
Afterwards
Since both of these medications cause sedation and physical impairment, caution should be exercised afterwards. You should avoid activities that require alertness, such as driving, operating heavy machinery or making important decisions (such as legal decisions, large purchases, etc.) on the day of the procedure.
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