Updated sedative basics guide: everything you need to know about sedatives in clinical practice

Abstract

Background: As interventional procedures become more common in clinical practice, sedatives are being increasingly used to enhance patient experience, overall safety, and procedural efficacy. An appropriate sedation depth, which is crucial for patient safety, is determined according to sedative dosage, procedural stimuli, and patient status. Thus, it is important that clinicians understand the continuous nature of sedation levels.Current Concepts: Although sedation offers benefits, it also carries risks. Thus, vigilant monitoring during and after a procedure is important for preventing excessive sedation depth and related complications. Combining sedatives with analgesics, including opioids, often has a synergistic effect that necessitates a dosage reduction. Interdisciplinary guidelines for moderate sedation were recently developed to address expanding procedural scopes and patient population diversity.Discussion and Conclusion: To ensure sedation safety and success in new procedures, healthcare providers should refer to relevant studies. In cases with limited evidence, sedative dosages should be determined based on their pharmacological characteristics.