Austrian Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (ÖGGH) - Guidelines on sedation and monitoring during gastrointestinal endoscopy

Abstract

1 Patient safety has the highest priority in the performance of endoscopy or endoscopic interventions and in the administration of accompanying measures such as sedation. This applies above all to the allocation of time, space, personnel, and equipment in the endoscopy suite. 2 Every procedure must be preceded by an individual risk classification assessment. The result must be recorded in writing (in the context of the information given to the patient). 3 Good venous access is a prerequisite. 4 The administration of sedatives or anesthetics must, above all, take into consideration the depth of sedation. This in turn determines the extent of monitoring. The medication and comedications used (including trade names and dosage) must be documented, either in the endoscopy report or in a separate record. 5 There must always be an individual present who is responsible for the administration of sedatives or anesthetics. Depending on the degree of sedation on the one hand and on the presence of risk factors that could lead to a requirement for intubation on the other, this individual can be a specially trained assistant or nurse, a member of the general medical staff, or an anesthesiologist. 6 This individual is responsible for monitoring during the endoscopic procedure. The patient's recovery must be monitored in a specially equipped unit and be briefly documented by the responsible staff there. 7 Special attention must to given to precise and detailed documentation of all steps of the process described (risk stratification, patient information, medication, procedural records. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart.