title: The safety of nurse-administered procedural sedation compared to anesthesia care in a historical cohort of advanced endoscopy patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In April 2010, in response to a change in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulation placing deep sedation under hospital anesthesia services, our institution began providing anesthesia care for all advanced endoscopic procedures. Because it remains unknown whether anesthesia care reduces sedation-related complications or improves quality of care versus nurse-administered sedation for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic ultrasound patients, we retrospectively compared complications in a 5-year historical cohort before and after the policy change.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed a historical cohort of 9598 consecutive endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic ultrasound examinations for adult patients at a single institution during a 5-year period (October 2007-October 2012). We compared procedures performed before and after the policy change for the incidence of sedation, endoscopic, and total complications, and for major morbidity and mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of reported sedation-related complications was 0.38% (17 of 4514) before the policy change and 0.08% (4 of 5084) after the policy change, which was statistically significant (P = 0.002, diff = 0.3, 95% confidence interval, 0.11%-0.53%). Endoscopic complications were not significantly different before versus after: 0.66% vs 0.87% (P = 0.293, diff = 0.2, 95% confidence interval, -0.16% to 0.56%). Total complications (1.11% vs 1.00%, P = 0.618) and major morbidity and mortality (0.27% vs 0.33%, P = 0.581) did not differ between the 2 time periods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anesthesia care for advanced endoscopy in a high-risk population significantly reduced sedation complications compared with nurse-administered sedation. Endoscopic complications were unchanged. The sedation risk reduction did not reduce major morbidity, mortality, or total complications.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Management, Massachusetts General Hospital; Harvard Medical School; and Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Emily S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Guimaraes
authors.forename: Emily J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Richter
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D000761:Anesthesia Department, Hospital; D001900:Boston; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D054810:Deep Sedation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D019160:Endosonography / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009719:Nurse Anesthetists; D061214:Patient Safety; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives