Q How does sedation differ from anesthetic?
A Sedation is a partial suppression of consciousness, where anesthetic is total suppression. In conscious sedation (CS) patients are aware of their surroundings and can respond to questions and other stimuli.
Q Is sedation safe?
A Yes. Sedation is a safe alternative to anesthetics in well trained and correctly equipped doctors hands.
Q Can my child also be sedated?
A Yes. It is a well-accepted method in children for small procedures and dental work. Only a trained seditionist should do these sedations.
Q If I am conscious during the operation, would I feel pain?
A No. The goal of sedation is to control anxiety and pain during operations. The drugs used, and the injection of local anesthetics can effectively block pain in these selected procedures.
Q How long does it take to wake up after an operation?
A It depends on the drugs used, the individual response to the drug and the time under sedation. In CS you are never really ‘asleep’ although it may seem so. The patient can be aroused by verbal command or physical stimuli.
Recovery is swift after the infusion of the drugs are stopped. You could feel drowsy or light headed for a period after the procedure. In deeper forms of sedation consciousness is normally regained within minutes of the discontinuation of the drugs.
Q Will I be nauseas after the procedure?
A No. Nausea is very seldom seen as one of the drugs used in sedation has a strong anti nausea effect. In conscious sedation gases are seldom used and this reduces the chances of nausea even more.
Q Will I be wide awake after the operation, and be able to drive and go back to work?
A You should be able to leave the aftercare in 15 to 40 minutes. You should refrain from driving for 12 hours due to the fact that it could take a while for normal co-ordination to recover. If urgent, you can go back to work as long as you do not operate machinery or sign any contracts on the same day. A day off work is normally advised.
Q My child of 3 years of age needs extraction of a few teeth. Can this also be done under sedation?
A Yes. Children of this age group are the most difficult and least researched. A lot of research is still done on the effects of sedation drugs in children. For short procedures like dental work, sedation is one of the options. It is important to ensure that a trained doctor is used to do this type of sedation. Please ask your sedation doctor for more information about sedation for your child.
Q Will my medical aid pay for sedation?
A Yes. We have a good understanding with most medical aids and they are aware of the advantages that sedation has for their members and their members’ cash reserves. You should adhere to the rules of your medical aid by notifying them in advance and to obtain an authorization number before any procedure is done. The payment will normally be taken from your in-hospital funds and will not erode your day-to-day reserves. If you have a problem in obtaining authorization for sedation procedures, please let your sedationist have all the details.
Q Can any doctor do safe sedations?
A South African doctors are very well trained and capable. Training and experience in this field however is imperative so that competent and academically well trained doctors can uphold the highest level of service.
