Sedation & Analgesia during Endoscopic Examinations
Recent reports relating to sedation and analgesia during endoscopic examinations comprise have played an important part in improving the quality of the actual examination and more importantly hugely increasing the willingness of patients to undergo the procedures. Recently more and more specialists are insisting on these new sedation methods when carrying out both upper and lower GI tests and leading Health insurers like Sovereign Health Insurance with Best Doctors appear to be happy with the results thus far.
Simple Intravenous combinations of both sedatives and analgesic have been administered widely in many theatres around the world for a few years normally administered by an endoscopist or nurse assistant themselves. But in the light of recent concerns that some sedative use may itself cause complications this issue has become somewhat more controversial.
More recently a short-acting hypnotic agent, often propofol, is used which many patients , insurers (like Sovereign Health Insurance) and of course endoscopists find far superior to the traditional sedation methods. Often this needs to be administered by a licensed anaesthetist but the extra benefits it brings with a more cleared diagnosis often outweighs the extra cost.
After a recent meeting of respected endoscopists they acknowledges that while the overall standards of endoscopy and sedation do of course vary among the countries present they do plan on setting up an internationally recognised platform relating to this new form of patient sedation looking at more widely at Health Care NZ and well as the US , Asia and Europe.
