Administering IV sedation in a dental office setting should adhere to ASA Guidelines for Office-Based Anesthesia. These are Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring, to ensure safety.
Because of the increase in the use of IV sedation for dental procedures, reports of adverse events are also on the rise. Which is why patients should be aware of their choices, educate themselves and ask questions.
Importance of Patient Safety
The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation advocates for patient’s safety, encouraging a separate anesthesia provider be present at your dental appointment to ensure all safety precautions are in place.
It is essential that patient safety advocates be informed of this significant safety issue; healthy patients continue to suffer adverse outcomes specifically because of this single-provider-operator-anesthetist oral surgery practice model.
We have a professional and personal responsibility to educate parents and patients to ask their oral surgeon very specific questions:
“How will I/my child be monitored and by whom?
Is there an independent observer whose only responsibility is to watch me/my child, certified in and up-to-date in resuscitation and trained in the delivery of anesthetics?
Is the equipment for resuscitation immediately available?”
If the answer to these questions is ambiguous or “no,” then patient safety may be compromised. It is critical for health care professionals, patients, and parents to speak to their associated legislatures to oppose proposals that support the single-provider-operator-anesthesia model
Advocate For Patient Safety
Today’s medical advancement has enabled any type of dental procedure to be painless and stress free.
This is because hospital level IV sedation is now being brought to dental offices. This has become a game changer for those who have a difficult time sitting in a dental chair.
IV sedation has significant benefits for both children and adults. Enabling several treatments in just one appointment.
At Blue Sky Anesthesia Associates, our expectations are high and yours should be too when choosing to have sedation for your dental procedure. You deserve to have individual attention and an experienced nurse anesthetist providing your sedation whose only concern is monitoring the patient.
