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The term sedation is nothing more than just calming down, i.e. various types of actions on the nervous system to reduce its activity. The concept of sedation is well known to everyone. We often use non-prescription mild herbal tranquilizers on our own, and when arguing with someone, we often quit or hear “Calm down!” and we try to get into a calmer state by counting to ten and taking a few deep breaths. There are many ways to calm down, and each of us has our own tried and tested methods. However, we do not use the term sedation every day – so when we hear it in a clinic, hospital or dentist’s office, we associate this word with fear and stress. Completely unnecessary. It is in this context – sedation before medical procedures – we will describe in this short article what sedation is and when it is used.
Sedation before medical procedures – indications for use
Pre-procedure sedation consists in such preparation of the patient for surgery in order to keep him calm and to endure it better procedureand on the other hand, it is supposed to make it easier for doctors to perform it calmly. When used jest sedation? Currently, it is a procedure that is becoming more and more common for the sake of the comfort of the patient and doctors. Sedation may be applied in front of the bigger ones treatments operations requiring administration of anesthesia – measures sedative in this case, they are administered at a certain time interval before the patient is brought to the operating table and given general anesthesia. They reduce stress and prevent hysterical reactions to the sight of the operating table and the team of surgeons that some patients experience.
An indication do sedation they are also treatmentsduring which the patient remains aware, in particular treatments operational with epidural and local anesthesia. Although the area of operation is usually covered with a screen, not everyone is well aware of the awareness of the team of doctors cutting the tissues. Sedation it is routine practice in this case. Also before the change treatments surgical and cosmetic is possible application means tranquilizers. It is also an increasingly common practice sedation patients, especially children, before treatments dental and oral surgery. Moreover satisfaction patients applied is not only before treatments operational, but also before some diagnostic tests, such as endoscopy, colonoscopy, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography (e.g. in people suffering from mild claustrophobia and who do not tolerate this test well).
Types and methods of sedation before medical procedures
Stan satisfaction patient before surgery it is achieved by various types of pharmacological agents. They differ primarily in the strength and duration of action and the way they are administered. Standard procedure is sedation Oral when the patient swallows the substances tranquilizers, e.g. potent sedative psychotropic drugs from the benzodiazepine class. If there are any contraindications to taking medications by mouth – e.g. the patient is unable to swallow or is very anxious – medications reassuring can be administered intravenously, intramuscularly or rectally. These routes of administration are also chosen when the action of the agent is reassuring it must be faster than if you swallow the medicine. The fastest-acting form sedation there is an intravenous form – the middle soothing it is put directly into the bloodstream and it works immediately. Drugs are slightly slower after intramuscular and rectal administration, and the slowest after oral administration, because you need to add time for the drug to be absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There is still the possibility of serving sedation by inhalation – the effect is also fast. This method has become widespread in recent years, especially in dental offices. The most frequently supplied gas is nitrous oxide, i.e. stupid man, laughing gas. It can be used in children, it reduces the stress associated with surgery dentist and allows the patient to relax immediately.
In some cases sedation it may not be limited to effect only reassuring while keeping the patient’s awareness, but also making him fall asleep – we are talking then about sedation deep which is the opposite sedation shallow. Each time about the use of i method sedation the doctor decides, taking into account all ailments and diseases of the patient and his careful examination.