Recently ASG received an email from a fellow CRNA who elected to experience her colonoscopy with conscious sedation rather than Propofol. The email states her personal experience and opinion on the benefits of Propofol anesthesia.
"I just want to share with you my experience as a patient. I opted to forgo propofol anesthesia for my endo for the convenience of scheduling. I weigh 139 pounds. They gave me Versed 10mg. Fentanyl 100mcg and phenergan (unknown amount). I am still feeling the effects of that very “unconscious” sedation 24 hours later. There is no way I could drive today. What we do in the GI centers is so important. I know many, including insurers, see it as an added expense, but there is absolutely no reason someone should lose this much time out of their life for an outpatient procedure. There is also no reason to give that much medication to someone and have them stay as long as I did to recover (well over an hour before I woke up and interacted with my husband). Feel free to share my experience with anyone who believes that so-called “conscious” sedation is either safe or effective. It is most certainly inefficient and potentially costly in the end.
I would NEVER forgo propofol in the future.
Not having an anesthesia provider readily available and knowing I received that much medication makes me feel extremely uneasy about what goes on without us in endo."
Have you or someone you know had an experience with "conscious sedation"?
What are your thoughts about your experience? Did you suffer from severe side effects from conscious sedation? Are you an anesthesia provider? If so, what would you recommend?