Friday 22 June 2018

A Few Facts Regarding Endoscopic Anesthesia

By Ann Cole


The alimentary canal lining can be affected by disease that requires special investigation for diagnosis to be made. This investigation is usually in the formal of endoscopy in which case a tube containing camera system is taken down the gut. Endoscopic anesthesia is crucial to ensure the patient is not traumatized by the procedure which can be very uncomfortable.

In preparation for the anaesthetic procedure, the doctor will ask you a couple of questions to ascertain your health status. Any chronic illnesses including high blood pressure and diabetes should be revealed. The patient also needs to inform the doctor about whether they take alcohol, cigarettes or any other drugs. Physical examination and certain blood investigations should also be undertaken to provide a baseline for the procedure.

Vital signs have to be monitored during endoscopy to ensure that any complications that arise are dealt with in time. Monitoring is done with the help of machines connected to the patient. Blood pressure is usually measured using measured using a device that detects pulse rate and respiratory rate at the same time. Pulse oximetry is measured separately using a pulse oximeter placed directly at the finger tips.

Oxygen saturation levels are also monitored using a pulse oximeter usually clipped at the tip of one of the fingers. Ideally, saturation levels should be above ninety six per cent. Oxygen should be given via a face mask to ensure levels remain above the target. Vital signs should also be adjusted accordingly when they become abnormal.

Certain medications are indicated for the anaesthetic to go on smoothly. Ideally, one should not feel any pain and should be as comfortable as possible. The anaesthetic agent should therefore bear analgesic properties. In addition, the process needs to run as smoothly as possible without any muscle spasms interfering. Muscle relaxants therefore come in quite handy at this point. At the end of the day, the patient should not be able to remember what transpired during the operation as this can be traumatizing to their minds. As such, the anaesthetic agent used also has to have amnesic properties.

At the end of the endoscopic process, the patient has to be woken up from sleep using special reversal agents also called antidotes or antagonists. These reversal agents differ depending on the drug used for anaesthesia. For opioids, naloxone is the reversal agent of choice while flumazenil works against benzodiazepines. Reversal is less complicated than when anaesthesia is being administered because very few technicalities are involved.

The recovery room, also known as post anaesthesia care unit(PACU), is the next place to take the client after the procedure. This is a room just adjacent to the main procedure. It is equipped with monitors and healthcare personnel to observe and reassure the patient. Monitoring vital signs is also a priority at this stage. Oxygen is given through a face mask to ensure the individual does not experience difficulty breathing due to anxiety and panic, for instance.

Diagnosis and treatment of certain illnesses in the upper and lower gut is usually possible using endoscopy. When endoscopy is performed, anaesthesia has to be given to ensure the patient is as comfortable as possible. This can range from mild sedation to fully inducing the patient to sleep depending on how severe the illness is.




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