The anesthesia-directed sedation service: Models, protocols, and challenges

Abstract

Anesthesiologists have made signifi cant contributions to the specialty of pediatric sedation. In 1985, the fi rst sedation guidelines were published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), with an anesthesiologist as the leading author. Although anesthesiologists may have led the pediatric sedation movements for the fi rst two decades following this AAP publication, over the most recent decade, non-anesthesiologists have begun to replace anesthesiologists in some of the leading roles. In fact, anesthesia-directed sedation models may be on the decline. In 2005, only half of the respondents of a North American survey indicated that they had a formal sedation service. Only 26 % of institution-based sedation services involved either pediatric or general anesthesiologists.