Gastrointestinal endoscopy has become fundamental procedure for diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal tract diseases. Generally, the gastrointestinal endoscopy is minimally invasive procedure. However, it can cause considerable amount of discomfort and pain which make the procedure unsafe, complicated and refusal of follow up procedures if done without safe sedation. The sedation is required to alleviate anxiety, provide analgesia, amnesia and to improve endoscopic performance specifically in therapeutic procedures. The safe administration of sedative and analgesic medications, irrespective of the regimen used, requires knowledge of the individual needs of patients. The combination of benzodiazepines and opioids is now the most widely used sedation regimen for sedation in gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures. Generally, sedation for gastrointestinal endoscopy is considered safe, however, it has the potential for serious complications. Therefore, endoscopist should assess the patients properly before the endoscopy as well as should be aware of all possible complications and the risk factors. Furthermore, skilled staff and emergency equipment should be available in endoscopy suit. This chapter discuss in details all the aspects of safe procedural sedation during GI endoscopies.

Introduction and importance Low molecular weight heparins are rarely associated with thrombocytosis. However, the safety of transitioning to unfractionated heparin is unknown. Case presentation We report a case of a 47-year-old South Asian male who presented to the hospital after ingestion of a caustic liquid. He received subcutaneous enoxaparin 40 mg once daily for prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism. His platelet count increased from the baseline of 748 × 10 9 /L to a peak of 1213 × 10 9 /L, after which enoxaparin was changed to unfractionated heparin. His platelet count returned to normal within seven days. The modified Naranjo scale with thrombocytosis-specific criteria was 6, indicating a probable association with enoxaparin. Clinical discussion In this case, the patient developed thrombocytosis after initiation of low-molecular weight heparin and platelet count normalized after shifting to unfractionated heparin. Conclusion Clinicians should suspect LMWH-induced thrombocytosis when platelet count elevation cannot be explained by other causes. Unfractionated heparin might be a safe alternative in case of low molecular weight heparin-induced thrombocytosis.