Careful Preoperative Assessment, Attentive Intraoperative Monitoring Help Prevent Significant Patient Complications During Sedation

Main Category: Dentistry
Also Included In: Respiratory / Asthma;  Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Article Date: 24 Jun 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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A continuing education article in Anesthesia Progress reviewed critical aspects of patient management of respiratory and cardiovascular complications during dental surgery.

Preoperative and intraoperative assessment of cardiovascular and respiratory status emphasizing the airway, breathing and circulation need to be performed to effectively manage patient care and to prevent untoward events during sedation.

The article provides a chart for the various methods of managing specific respiratory and cardiovascular considerations. This chart can be used to create an algorithm for the practitioner to place along with specific medications and syringes to plan in advance. During a medical urgency or emergency, the clinician cannot expect to recall the various algorithms and drug dosages described in this continuing education article.

However, the clinician must have a solid grasp of fundamental principles of physiology and patient assessment to properly assess the status of a patient during a medical situation and to select the appropriate treatment protocol. This familiarity with fundamental principles assures optimal patient care.

Anesthesia Progress is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA). The journal is dedicated to providing a better understanding of the advances being made in the art and science of pain and anxiety control in dentistry. For more information about Anesthesia Progress, please visit http://www.anesthesiaprogress.org.

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