General Anesthesia
Analgosedation/intravenous sedation
Analgosedation relieves patient’s anxiety and provides comfort during a dental procedure. It is not an alternative but an addition to local anaesthesia. It is performed by a medical specialist in anaesthesiology. It consists of intravenous administration of analgesic and sedative drugs in fractionated doses, selected individually depending on the patient’s needs and the extent and duration of treatment. With a cannula inserted into the vein, drug doses can be added at any time during the entire course of the treatment. The flexible dosing is adjusted to patient’s needs and the stage/type of the procedure being performed. An additional dose of the drugs can be given or their effect reversed at any time during the procedure.
Benefits of analgosedation/sedation:
- excessive reflexes are eliminated (including gag reflex),
- anxiety is eliminated,
- pain is eliminated,
- contact with the patient is maintained (the patient follows instructions),
- defensive reflexes are preserved.
During intravenous sedation/analgosedation the patient is monitored, which further increases the safety of this method. Analgosedation/sedation allows us to keep the patient in a state of limited consciousness for up to 2-3 hours, without having to resort to general anaesthesia, increasing the safety of this method.
This method is particularly recommended for complex surgical or implantological procedures which last for many hours, where use of appropriate sedation and relaxation methods is recommended to ensure patient comfort.
As it enables intravenous administration of effective and fast-acting drugs, this method is widely used in the treatment of patients with advanced dentophobia and those with high blood pressure. This method is also used in patients with a strong gag reflex, allowing them to undergo dental procedures. It is also possible to administer other medicines intravenously: antibiotics, anti-swelling drugs, anti-emetics, hydration (especially important for longer-lasting treatments), controlling electrolytes and blood glucose levels.
Patient preparation for surgery
The following additional tests are recommended before a surgery: full blood count, electrolyte levels (sodium, potassium), blood glucose levels and coagulation parameters.
The patient should tell the anaesthesiologist about any co-morbid conditions and medications taken (as they might enter into pharmacokinetic interactions with drugs used in analgosedation/sedation).
On the day of surgery
- The patient should have an empty stomach: have your last meal 6 hours before the procedure and drink your last liquid 4 hours before the procedure.
- The patient should take any medicines he or she has been using so far (unless the anaesthetist or the operator performing the surgery decide otherwise).
- The patient should give their written consent to perform sedation or analgosedation.
After the surgery
After the surgery, the patient will remain under observation for 15-30 minutes, at the discretion of the anaesthetist. The patient can leave the office with an accompanying person. Do not drive or drink alcohol after the procedure.
The patient will be advised to take painkillers or antibiotics / anti-swelling drugs, if necessary. If the patient experiences any disturbing symptoms after the procedure, they can contact the anaesthesiologist who performed intravenous analgosedation/sedation and the dentist performing the procedure.