What it means
Used so a client can tolerate a short procedure such as an endoscopy, a bone-marrow biopsy or a cardioversion. It was formerly called conscious sedation. Common drugs are midazolammih-DAZ-oh-lamA short-acting benzodiazepine used for sedation before procedures and to stop seizures.Full entry and fentanyl given IV. It lies between minimal sedation (anxiety relief) and deep sedation, and a client can slip deeper than intended, so ISMP lists IV moderate sedation agents as high-alert medications.
For the nurse
Before: check consent, the time the client last ate or drank, and baseline vital signs. During and after: monitor oxygen saturation, breathing (often with capnography), blood pressure, heart rate and level of sedation, and keep airway equipment and reversal drugs (naloxone, flumazenil) at hand.
At a glance
| Also written | conscious sedation |
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Related terms
sedation
A calm, relaxed or sleepy state brought on by drugs, or the use of drugs to cause it.
naloxone
A drug that blocks the effects of opioids at their receptors.
propofol
A fast-acting IV drug used to put clients to sleep for surgery or procedures and to sedate clients on a ventilator.
midazolam
A short-acting benzodiazepine used for sedation before procedures and to stop seizures.
flumazenil
An IV drug that blocks benzodiazepines and reverses the sedation they cause.