Emergency Medicine Preparedness

By Joseph A. Giovannitti Jr., DMD

Advances in medicine have enabled patients with incapacitating conditions to become medically stable enough to receive dental treatment. However, these patients may be at greater risk for perioperative emergencies due to underlying comorbidities. Because of this, moderate sedation can be useful for the prevention of many emergent events. Moderate sedation is an inherently safe treatment modality largely because consciousness is continuously maintained, anxiety is reduced, and the stress response is mitigated. Clinicians need to identify potentially reactive patients, anticipate problems, and be prepared to manage perioperative emergencies. While this paper reviews the most common adverse events that may be encountered, further reading is recommended.

* References can be found in the original article via the link below.
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