Procedural sedation (or conscious sedation) is utilized to keep patients comfortable during bedside procedures or allow MRI scans in claustrophobic individuals.  Our ACCME-accredited procedural sedation course will teach clinicians the monitoring and documentation required for the safe administration of moderate to deep sedation.  The procedural sedation course covers the use of all analgesic and sedative options including a discussion of opiates, benzodiazepines, propofol, ketamine, etomidate, dexmedetomidine, “Ketofol” and topical anesthetics.

The HPC Hospitalist and Emergency Procedures course will teach you how to perform procedural sedation in addition to endotracheal intubation, stylet-guided intubations, laryngeal mask airway (LMA) placement, King tube placement, or fiberoptic intubations. central venous access, ultrasound-guided central line placement, ultrasound-guided peripheral IV access, arterial lines, POCUS exams (E-FAST exams, RUSH exams), thoracentesis, paracentesis, lumbar puncture, chest tube placement, pigtail catheter placement, needle thoracostomy, and ventilator management.

Our procedural sedation course is a component of our live Hospitalist and Emergency Procedures CME course which teaches clinicians how to perform the 20 most essential procedures needed to work in the ER, ICU, and hospital wards.

CLICK HERE to find out more about our premier live Hospitalist and Emergency Procedures CME course

Procedural Sedation Course (Conscious Sedation course) trains students in:

• Informed consent
• Levels of procedural sedation
• Airway assessment
• Mallampati Classification
• Opioids for procedural sedation
• Benzodiazepines for procedural sedation
• Ketamine for procedural sedation
• Etomidate for procedural sedation
• Propofol for procedural sedation
• Ketofol for procedural sedation
• Topical anesthetics for skin procedures
• Coding for procedural sedation

Download Procedural Sedation Checklist

More information about Procedural Sedation

Procedural sedation (also known as conscious sedation or conscious anesthesia) is an area of medicine used throughout many practices and procedures in the medical and dental industry.  There can understandably be some confusion among both patients and medical professionals regarding procedural sedation or conscious sedation and anesthesia.

Procedural sedation varies in intensity from anxiolysis which is the least intense, to moderate sedation, and finally deep sedation which is the most powerful form of sedation.

As a patient, when you are consciously sedated you may receive mix of an analgesic and a sedative.  The analgesic serves to prevent patient sensitivity to pain and the sedative acts as a relaxant.  Naturally, because it is “conscious sedation” the patient is not under general anesthesia.  Conscious sedation is a safe procedure because of the careful titration of medications and the continuous monitoring of the heart, breathing, blood pressure, and level of consciousness.

The most common potential for complications arises from receiving too much sedative in which case the patient may develop respiratory depression.  If you’re a patient expecting to receive some form of sedation remember that a qualified medical professional will be supervising your entire procedure to ensure that you are receiving the optimal amount of sedation.  Conscious sedation is a very safe procedure and is very valuable in assisting with a large variety of medical procedures by keeping you comfortable during potentially painful procedures.  Conscious sedation is especially common in many dental and medical procedures.

Anxiolysis is the lowest state of procedural sedation.  This is a state where people are calm, relaxed and drowsy but still able to respond to questions and verbal commands.  This is a common state of sedation used for claustrophobic patients who require an MRI.

Moderate sedation is a higher level of procedural sedation.  With moderate sedation the patient is more drowsy and often does not respond to verbal prompts, but does respond purposefully to touch.  Generally, moderate sedation has no risk of breathing problems.

Deep sedation is the most intense form of sedation in which the patient is completely unconscious.  Deep sedation can be safely administered by emergency physicians and hospital physicians after appropriate training.  There is a risk of respiratory impairment during deep sedation which is why we always require continuous monitoring of the heart, breathing, and blood presssure.  Physicians who perform deep sedation must be skilled in advanced airway management.

Our CME course will train clinicians in the various options to achieve anxiolysis, moderate sedation or deep sedation in a safe manner.

Ask the Experts

Whether you’re a patient scheduled to receive procedural sedation who is interested in learning more, or you’re a medical student or a working medical professional interested in discussing procedural sedation, we invite you to contact an HPC physician directly by visiting www.Facebook.com/HospitalProcedures

We welcome questions or comments and we look forward to hearing from you.

Register HERE 21 days before the course to SAVE $50-150 and get the following:

1. 12 month online access to Online CME course, procedure video bundle, instructional posters
2. Indefinite online access to PDFs of all course lectures, course handouts, and HPC Adult Critical Care and Emergency Drug Reference Drug