title: Conscious sedation: for a TEE, is it always required?
abstract: Conscious sedation is an anesthesia technique frequently used to facilitate transesophageal echocardiography, but it is not really necessary for performing routine adult cases. Children and complicated circumstances generally do warrant sedation. Using such anesthesia does increase complication rates and financial costs, therefore, omitting it should be considered when appropriate. Conscious sedation does diminish pain and anxiety, but results in patients being temporarily not decisional; without sedation they remain at full decisional capacity and can resume routine activities immediately after the procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: Ovais
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Khalid
authors.forename: Rajeev
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mulhall
authors.forename: Anubha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paladugu
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stoddard
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lippmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends*