Overview
Conscious sedation is a type of sedation used during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures that lasts for a short period, wears off quickly and allows immediate recovery. It uses a combination of different types of sedatives. Examples of diagnostic or therapeutic procedures that need conscious sedation are biopsy procedures, dental procedures, minor surgeries of foot or skin, endoscopic procedures, colonoscopy and bronchoscopy. Conscious sedation during these procedures helps the patient to be calm, relaxed, reduced the pain and discomfort and allows the procedure to be done smoothly. Examples of sedatives used in conscious sedation are diazepam, midazolam, propofol and nitrous oxide. The medications can be either given orally, intramuscularly or intravenously whereas nitrous oxide is given through inhalation. Conscious sedation is safe and rarely causes complications. The common side effects of conscious sedation are drowsiness, feeling heavy, low blood pressure, short term amnesia of what happened during the procedure, slow reflexes, slow speech and headache.
