Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow It FeelsWhat to ExpectWhen It’s UsedSide EffectsSummary
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How It Feels
What to Expect
When It’s Used
Side Effects
Summary
Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC), also known as conscious sedation or twilight sleep, is administered through anIVto make a patient sleepy and calm during a procedure. The patient is typically awake but groggy and can follow instructions as needed.
Medications that might be used during monitored anesthesia include:
MAC is used for outpatient procedures where patients are expected to go home after the anesthesia has completely worn off.
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What Does Monitored Anesthesia Feel Like?
The level of sedation provided with this type of anesthesia ranges from light sedation to deep sedation. The patient may feel silly and a little sleepy, or under heavier doses may be mostly asleep.
Minimal Sedation
In light sedation, patients can speak, hear things around them, answer questions, and follow commands. They are aware of the procedure but not in pain and typically don’t feel anxious about what is happening.
Moderate Sedation
Moderate sedation, also called conscious sedation, causes patients to feel more sleepy than under light sedation, but they are not necessarily asleep. Awareness is generally reduced under moderate sedation, but patients might remember some aspects of the procedure. They can respond to commands.
Deep Sedation
With heavier sedation, the patient is breathing on their own but is unaware of their surroundings and typically isn’t “awake.” This type of anesthesia is different from general anesthesia because the patient is not chemically paralyzed, nor do they require assistance with breathing. The vital signs are closely monitored to ensure stability throughout the procedure.
One medication commonly used for this type of sedation is propofol, also known as the brand name Diprivan, which is given through an IV and looks remarkably similar to milk. This medication wears off quickly (less than ten minutes for most people), so the patient can wake shortly after the procedure.
At a minimum, vital signs are measured with a blood pressure cuff and an oxygen monitor. Typically, electrodes are placed on the chest to monitor the patient’s heart rate andEKGthroughout the procedure.
This type of sedation is frequently used with minor surgical and dental procedures and can be combined withlocalorregional anesthesiato decrease pain. Some examples of procedures that might use monitored anesthesia care include:
What Are the Side Effects of Monitored Anesthesia?
Patients having conscious sedation often have fewer side effects than those who havegeneral anesthesia. The most common side effect is nausea, but some patients do experience both nausea and vomiting.If you have experienced nausea or vomiting after anesthesia in the past, be sure to tell your anesthesia provider so medication can be given to help prevent it from happening again.
There are potentially serious side effects of monitored anesthesia care, but these are rare. They might include:
Monitored anesthesia care is crucial to keeping patients comfortable during specific medical or dental procedures. A bad experience during a healthcare encounter can hinder future healthcare, so having a good experience is crucial to maintaining good health.
Different drugs are used to provide different levels of sedation, depending on the procedure being performed. If you have any questions about monitored anesthesia care, ask your healthcare provider before any procedures.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Das S, Ghosh S.Monitored anesthesia care: An overview.J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol. 2015;31(1):27-9. doi:10.4103/0970-9185.150525Kapur A, Kapur V.Conscious sedation in dentistry.Ann Maxillofac Surg. 2018;8(2):320-323. doi:10.4103/ams.ams_191_18Sohn HM, Ryu JH.Monitored anesthesia care in and outside the operating room.Korean J Anesthesiol. 2016;69(4):319-26. doi:10.4097/kjae.2016.69.4.319Boujaoude Z, Arya R, Shrivastava A, Pratter M, Abouzgheib W.Impact of moderate sedation versus monitored anesthesia care on outcomes and cost of endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration.Pulm Med. 2019;2019:4347852. doi:10.1155/2019/4347852MedlinePlus.Conscious sedation for surgical procedures.Jun J, Han JI, Choi AL, et al.Adverse events of conscious sedation using midazolam for gastrointestinal endoscopy.Anesth Pain Med (Seoul). 2019;14(4):401-406. doi:10.17085/apm.2019.14.4.401
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Das S, Ghosh S.Monitored anesthesia care: An overview.J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol. 2015;31(1):27-9. doi:10.4103/0970-9185.150525Kapur A, Kapur V.Conscious sedation in dentistry.Ann Maxillofac Surg. 2018;8(2):320-323. doi:10.4103/ams.ams_191_18Sohn HM, Ryu JH.Monitored anesthesia care in and outside the operating room.Korean J Anesthesiol. 2016;69(4):319-26. doi:10.4097/kjae.2016.69.4.319Boujaoude Z, Arya R, Shrivastava A, Pratter M, Abouzgheib W.Impact of moderate sedation versus monitored anesthesia care on outcomes and cost of endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration.Pulm Med. 2019;2019:4347852. doi:10.1155/2019/4347852MedlinePlus.Conscious sedation for surgical procedures.Jun J, Han JI, Choi AL, et al.Adverse events of conscious sedation using midazolam for gastrointestinal endoscopy.Anesth Pain Med (Seoul). 2019;14(4):401-406. doi:10.17085/apm.2019.14.4.401
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Das S, Ghosh S.Monitored anesthesia care: An overview.J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol. 2015;31(1):27-9. doi:10.4103/0970-9185.150525Kapur A, Kapur V.Conscious sedation in dentistry.Ann Maxillofac Surg. 2018;8(2):320-323. doi:10.4103/ams.ams_191_18Sohn HM, Ryu JH.Monitored anesthesia care in and outside the operating room.Korean J Anesthesiol. 2016;69(4):319-26. doi:10.4097/kjae.2016.69.4.319Boujaoude Z, Arya R, Shrivastava A, Pratter M, Abouzgheib W.Impact of moderate sedation versus monitored anesthesia care on outcomes and cost of endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration.Pulm Med. 2019;2019:4347852. doi:10.1155/2019/4347852MedlinePlus.Conscious sedation for surgical procedures.Jun J, Han JI, Choi AL, et al.Adverse events of conscious sedation using midazolam for gastrointestinal endoscopy.Anesth Pain Med (Seoul). 2019;14(4):401-406. doi:10.17085/apm.2019.14.4.401
Das S, Ghosh S.Monitored anesthesia care: An overview.J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol. 2015;31(1):27-9. doi:10.4103/0970-9185.150525
Kapur A, Kapur V.Conscious sedation in dentistry.Ann Maxillofac Surg. 2018;8(2):320-323. doi:10.4103/ams.ams_191_18
Sohn HM, Ryu JH.Monitored anesthesia care in and outside the operating room.Korean J Anesthesiol. 2016;69(4):319-26. doi:10.4097/kjae.2016.69.4.319
Boujaoude Z, Arya R, Shrivastava A, Pratter M, Abouzgheib W.Impact of moderate sedation versus monitored anesthesia care on outcomes and cost of endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration.Pulm Med. 2019;2019:4347852. doi:10.1155/2019/4347852
MedlinePlus.Conscious sedation for surgical procedures.
Jun J, Han JI, Choi AL, et al.Adverse events of conscious sedation using midazolam for gastrointestinal endoscopy.Anesth Pain Med (Seoul). 2019;14(4):401-406. doi:10.17085/apm.2019.14.4.401
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