Patient Monitoring
Many of the complications associated with moderate sedation and analgesia may be avoided if adverse drug responses are detected and treated in a timely manner (i.e., before the development of cardiovascular decompensation or cerebral hypoxia). Patients given sedatives or analgesics in unmonitored settings may be at increased risk of these complications. Patient monitoring includes strategies for the following:
(1) monitoring patient level of consciousness assessed by the response of patients, including spoken responses to commands or other forms of bidirectional communication during procedures performed with moderate sedation/analgesia
(2) monitoring patient ventilation and oxygenation, including ventilatory function, by observation of qualitative clinical signs, capnography, and pulse oximetry
(3) hemodynamic monitoring, including blood pressure, heart rate, and electrocardiography
(4) contemporaneous recording of monitored parameters
(5) availability/presence of an individual responsible for patient monitoring