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James A. Snyder, DDS, MS
Dental Anesthesia Alexandria
Safety Suggestions for Office-Based Anesthesia
The Society for Office Based Anesthesia (SOBA) is an organization of anesthesia professionals, including physician anesthesiologists, dentist anesthesiologists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). Our mission is to promote safe anesthesia care in the office-based surgical facility.
Things you should know before you have anesthesia for an office-based surgery:
- Is this true conscious sedation? (Which means I will be lightly sedated, still respond to verbal commands, and be able to breathe normally without heavy snoring.)
Or
- Is this a deep sedation technique? (I will not respond to verbal commands and I may need some airway support, i.e., chin lift, mechanical airways.)
- Will I be given general anesthesia? (I will be completely asleep, the intravenous medications may be supplemented with an inhalation anesthetic, and a type of artificial airway with probably be used, i.e., oral airway or intratracheal tube [breathing tube].)
Other Safety Recommendations
When you receive general anesthesia or deep sedation (which can quickly change to general anesthesia), your anesthesia care should be provided by a specialist in anesthesia, i.e., physician or dentist anesthesiologist or CRNA.
When you receive only conscious sedation (local anesthesia may also be used), it may be appropriate to have this care provided by your surgeon and an appropriately trained assistant (preferably an RN) whose only responsibility is to monitor you. Questions to ask:
- Who will monitor me during the procedure?
- Will this person have any other responsibilities besides the anesthetic? (The answer should be "no.")
- How much training and experience with this type of anesthetic does he/she have?
- What type of monitors will be used? (During conscious sedation, your blood pressure, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and respirations should be continuously monitored. Additional monitors are needed if a deep sedation or general anesthesia is planned.)
Ask a few more questions:
- How many drugs will be used during this procedure? (When two or three drugs are used together, it increases the likelihood that your sedations may become deep sedation rather than conscious sedation.)
- If there was a problem, where would I be transferred? Have you ever had to do a transfer before?
- Who in the office is CPR certified?
- How can I reach the anesthesia provider after hours?