Sedation is a medical procedure involving administration of sedative drugs, generally to facilitate a medical procedure, such as endoscopy, vasectomy, or minor surgery with local anaesthesia. Sedation can also be used in dentistry for reconstructive surgery, removal of impacted wisdom teeth, or high-anxiety patients. Medicine on the Web NLM (National Library of Medicine, contains resources for patients and healthcare professionals) Virtual Hospital (digital health sciences library by the University of Iowa) Online Medical Dictionary Collection of links to free medical resources Categories: Medicine | Health ... A sedative is a drug drug that depresses the central nervous system (CNS), which causes calmness, relaxation, reduction of anxiety, sleepiness, slowed breathing, slurred speech, staggering gait, poor judgment, and slow, uncertain reflexes. ... Endoscopy means looking inside and refers to looking inside the human body for medical reasons. ... For the process of removing or killing all microorganisms from an object, see Sterilization (microbiology). ... Local anesthesia is any technique to render part of the body insensitive to pain without affecting consciousness. ... X-rays can reveal if a person has cavities Dentistry is the practical application of knowledge of dental science (the science of placement, arrangement, function of teeth and their supporting bones and soft tissues) to human beings. ... Wisdom teeth are third molars that usually appear between the ages of 18 and 20 (although they may appear when older, or fail to appear at all). ...

Airway obstruction, apnoea and hypotension are not uncommon during sedation and require the presence of health professionals who are suitably trained to detect and manage these problems. Apnea (British spelling - apnoea) is the absence of external breathing. ... In physiology and medicine, hypotension refers to an abnormally low blood pressure. ... The delivery of modern health care depends on an expanding group of highly trained professionals coming together as an interdisciplinary team. ...

See also Terminal sedation. Terminal sedation is the practice of inducing unconsciousness in a terminally ill person for the remainder of the persons life, usually by means of a continuous intravenous infusion of morphine or other opioid drugs. ...

External links

• Sedation - Article by Steven Conrad, MD
• Conscious Sedation - What Patients Should Expect
• IV Sedation
• Oral Sedation