Standards of practice in UK emergency departments before, during and after conscious sedation

Abstract

Certain practices were applied in most departments but none were universal, with most being subject to wide variation. The local results reflected this, suggesting that a variation may exist both within and between individual units.

Patient satisfaction with procedural sedation in the emergency department

“…1 However, the choice of sedation drug regimens varies considerably worldwide. [1][2][3][4][5] The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) guidelines on procedural sedation 6 indicate that benzodiazepines (e.g. midazolam) for sedation and opioids (e.g.…”

“…Procedural sedation in the ED is common and is regularly undertaken for the management of painful fractures and dislocations . However, the choice of sedation drug regimens varies considerably worldwide . The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) guidelines on procedural sedation indicate that benzodiazepines (e.g.…”

“…However, the ANZCA guidelines do not make recommendations for the use of specific anaesthetic or analgesic agents. Guidelines from USA, UK, Canada and Europe, while providing broad principles for procedural sedation (e.g. aim, setting, staff and monitoring), are also non‐prescriptive.…”

Procedural sedation and analgesia in the emergency department

“…Reported times from end of sedation to discharge from the ED vary considerably with most studies reporting times of >60 min. 63,80,81 This reflects findings from a nationwide survey into standards of practice in UK EDs 82 and is likely to represent adequate time for physiology to return to baseline and a wide safety margin for detection of serious adverse events.…”