Anesthesia for Procedures in the Emergency Department

Abstract

The practice of emergency medicine has changed significantly over the past several decades. It has evolved into a separate and distinct specialty with a unique knowledge base and training program. As the specialty has evolved, so too has the complexity of patients being cared for in the emergency department (ED), as well as the range of tests and treatments being performed. For many of these patients, the acute management of pain and anxiety is an essential component of their ED care and fundamental to the performance of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Consequently, possessing an arsenal of anesthesia techniques is essential to the safe and effective practice of modern emergency medicine. This chapter reviews the provision of such anesthesia in the ED setting.