Light Sedation

Light Sedation

Sedation is a common medical term that refers to a widely employed clinical procedure that is based on the administration of special medical products that are known to posses sedative properties. This procedure is generally applied in order to facilitate a clinical intervention with local anesthesia. Light Sedation is a mild form of this medical procedure.

Your personal health care prescriber may want you to be submitted to Light Sedation if you are to undergo a minor surgery or certain medical tests (such as endoscopy); this medical procedure is also widely employed in dentistry, in the case of patients who undergo cosmetic surgery, reconstructive surgery, and other similar medical procedures. Light Sedation can also be commonly administered to high-anxiety individuals. The most common forms of sedation that are employed in dentistry include the following methods: inhalation sedation (in this case the patient is administered nitrous oxide), IV (intravenous) sedation, oral sedation, and so on. In certain cases, inhalation sedation is called Relative Analgesia. Certain forms of sedation are also used in clinical intensive care units, and are administered to individuals who are being ventilated, in order to help them tolerate the presence of an endo-tracheal tube.

However, in most cases, Light Sedation is achieved through the administration of special medical products, which impair coordination and the patient’s cognitive function; however, the subject’s cardiovascular and / or ventilatory functions are not affected during this type of medical procedure. A patient who undergoes this type of anesthesia generally responds normally to simple verbal directions. If you are to undergo a certain type of medical operation and you want to know whether you will have to undergo this type of anesthetic procedure or any other form of anesthesia, you should discuss this matter with your main medical prescriber. He or she is the only one who is able to determine whether you need to be administered any anesthetic medical products or not.

Light Sedation Description

Administering Light Sedation or any other form of anesthesia is not something that should be performed by every medical provider; only physicians who posses the necessary knowledge and training are allowed to apply this type of medical procedure, as only such professionals are able to provide sedation with minimum risks involved. A medical professional that administers sedation must be trained in order to be able to effectively deal with the subsequent deeper level of sedation, for the safety of the patient; this is due to the fact that keeping the individual at a stable level of anesthesia (sedation) can be difficult, and because in some cases, the surgeon may require a more deeper level of sedation for the well being of the medical procedure. For instance, a medical provider who is qualified to apply and monitor the effects of Light Sedation (in which the patient is always responsive and conscious) must also be able to handle deep sedation (in this case, the subject is not responsive), as in some cases, the patient passes over to this level of anesthesia. Until the patient is made to regain consciousness (the main method through which this can be achieved is by lowering the patient’s dose of medication), the medical provider must be able to safely manage the individual’s condition (deep sedation). 

As we have already stated in the previous chapter, the main way of achieving Light Sedation is through the administration of special medical products, either orally or intravenously, under the supervision of a highly qualified medical professional. After the individual has been administered the necessary amount of medication, his or her medical status must be closely monitored by the same clinical provider (such a professional will have to take into consideration numerous medical parameters, including: heart rate, blood pressure, and so on). This type of medical procedure must always be performed in a location which has the equipment that would allow a medical professional effectively handle emergencies.

Light Sedation Related Medication

Most medical products that are administered to the individual who is undergoing Light Sedation belong to the class of antihistamines, to that of phenotiazines anti-emetics, and even to that of phenotiazines anti-psychotics or benzodiazepines. Narcotic analgesics can also be administered to a patient who has to be anesthetized. The generic name under which some of these products can be purchased is promethazine; however, other clinical remedies have the generic name of diazepam and that of meperidine.

Most patients who undergo Light Sedation are administered one or more of the following medical products: Phenergan, Valium, Thorazine, Adgan, Anergan 50, Demerol, Diastat, Demerol HCl, Diastat Pediatric, Diastat AcuDial, Diazepam Intensol, Librium, Levo-Dromoran, Meperitab, Valrelease, Pentazine, Promethegan, Phenadoz, and so on.

One of the most common antihistamines that are employed in this type of medical procedure is Phenergan. Besides the fact that this medical drug can be used as a sleep aid or as a sedative, it can also be employed in order to treat the symptoms of an allergic reaction (watery eyes, itchy eyes, skin rashes, hives, sneezing, runny nose, etc). Furthermore, the use of this medication is also effective in preventing motion sickness. This medical product must not be administered to a child younger than 2 years of age, as it can trigger lethal effects (breathing problems, for instance) in such patients. It is very important to consult with a professional pediatrician before administering this type of medication to a child younger than 12. Not all patients are allowed to be administered this type of medication. For example, individuals who are suffering from a seizure disorder, kidney or liver disorders, emphysema, severe asthma, COPD (a common abbreviation that stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), other types of breathing medical conditions, sleep apnea (a severe illness in which the patient stops breathing during his or her sleep), and so on will have to be administered another medical product that is able to induce Light Sedation.

If you are interested in learning more about this type of medication and the way in which it will help your condition, you should discuss this matter with your physician. Go to the nearest pharmacy and ask your pharmacist to give you the professional medical label of Phenergan, from where you may find further medical facts.