What are the 4 levels of sedation?
- Mild/minimal sedation.
- Moderate sedation.
- Deep sedation.
- General anesthesia.
There are three basic levels of sedation – minimal, moderate and deep. Minimal sedation helps you relax but you will likely be awake. You will be able to respond easily to verbal and physical stimulation. Minimal sedation is often achieved using oral medication or laughing gas.
For IV sedation, as the name suggests, an IV will be placed into your arm so that medications to help relax you and decrease pain will be administered to keep you comfortable and sleepy. This is why it's also called “twilight sleep”.
- Stage 1 Analgesia and Sedation, Relaxation. ...
- Stage 2 Excitement, Delirium. ...
- Stage 3 Operative Anesthesia, Surgical Anesthesia. ...
- Stage 4 (Danger)
Common sedatives include barbiturates, benzodiazepines, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), opioids and sleep inducing drugs such as zolpidem (Ambien) and eszopiclone (Lunesta). Sedatives are central nervous system depressants and vary widely in their potency. They are usually in the form of a pill or liquid.
Light sedation: Awakens briefly (less than 10 seconds) with eye contact to verbal command. Moderate sedation: Any movement, except eye contact, in response to command. Deep sedation: No response to voice, but any movement to physical stimulation. Unarousable: No response to voice or physical stimulation.
Moderate Sedation/Analgesia (“Conscious Sedation”) is a drug-induced depression of consciousness during which patients respond purposefully** to verbal commands, either alone or accompanied by light tactile stimulation. No interventions are required to maintain a patent airway, and spontaneous ventilation is adequate.
The Pasero Opioid-Induced Sedation Scale, enables the nurse to determine a patient's level of sedation before and after the administration of an opioid. A POSS score of S, 1, or 2 indicates an acceptable level of sedation, whereas a score of 3 or 4 indicates over-sedation and the need for a reversal agent.
Conscious sedation can be administered through various routes such as oral, intramuscular, intravenous, and inhalational.
IV Moderate Sedation is used for patients who are having extensive work done that requires a prolonged amount of time in the treatment chair, or are having surgical procedures performed. IV sedation allows patients to receive the periodontal treatment that is needed and required to maintain good oral health.
What level of sedation do dentists use?
There are varying levels of sedation dentistry based on your unique needs. Factors include your level of anxiety, the length of your procedure, your health history and personal preferences. The most common types of sedation dentistry include nitrous oxide, oral conscious sedation and intravenous (IV) sedation.
Conscious sedation is a combination of medicines to help you relax (a sedative) and to block pain (an anesthetic) during a medical or dental procedure. You will probably stay awake, but may not be able to speak.

Benefits of IV Sedation
No endotracheal tube is required unlike with general anesthesia. Is a simpler way to keep patients relaxed compared to general anesthesia. IV sedation does cause partial memory loss, and patients will not remember any of their procedure.
Listen to pronunciation. (MAH-deh-rut seh-DAY-shun) A level of sedation in which a person is asleep but wakes when spoken to or touched. Moderate sedation is caused by special drugs and is used to help relieve anxiety during certain medical or surgical procedures.
The machine performs four essential functions: (i) provides oxygen; (ii) accurately mixes anaesthetic gases and vapours; (iii) enables patient ventilation; and (iv) minimizes anaesthesia-related risks to patients and staff.
Stage 1 - Analgesia or Disorientation: This stage can be initiated in a preoperative anesthesiology holding area, where the patient is given medication and may begin to feel its effects but has not yet become unconscious. This stage is usually described as the "induction stage." Patients are sedated but conversational.
Definition/Introduction. General anesthesia is a medically-induced loss of consciousness with concurrent loss of protective reflexes due to anesthetic agents. Various medications may be prescribed to induce unconsciousness, amnesia, analgesia, skeletal muscle relaxation, and the loss of autonomic system reflexes.
Benzodiazepines and barbiturates (in combination with an analgesic) are proven to be effective sedative agents.
- Midazolam. Midazolam (brand name: Versed) is a medication used to help ease anxiety. ...
- Pentobarbital. Pentobarbital (brand name: nembutal) is a sedative medication generally given intravenously. ...
- Fentanyl. ...
- Additional medications used.
(seh-DAY-shun) A state of calmness, relaxation, or sleepiness caused by certain drugs. Sedation may be used to help relieve anxiety during medical or surgical procedures or to help cope with very stressful events. Drugs that relieve pain may be used at the same time.
What is a sedation level 3?
Level 3 – the third level is referred to as Moderate Parenteral Sedation. Similar to level 2, level 3 is considered moderate in terms of its overall depressive conscious effect it induces.
Score | Term | Description |
---|---|---|
-1 | Drowsy | Not fully alert, sustained (>10 seconds) awakening, eye contact to voice |
-2 | Light sedation | Briefly (<10 seconds) awakens with eye contact to voice |
-3 | Moderate sedation | Any movement (but no eye contact) to voice |
-4 | Deep sedation | No response to voice, any movement to physical stimulation |
Patient′s sedation level was assessed by Ramsay Sedation Scale (RSS = 1 : Agitated; 2,3 : Comfortable; 4,5,6 : Sedated) and pain intensity by Behavioural Pain Scale (BPS = 3 :No pain, to 16 : Maximum pain).
Options range from no anesthesia or sedation at all to general anesthesia, but for upper endoscopies, moderate or deep sedation is most common. The anesthetics that may be used to minimize pain and discomfort and reduce anxiety include propofol, benzodiazepines, and opioids. No sedation.
It has no analgesic effects; therefore, when used for moderate sedation, propofol frequently has to be administered in amounts to provide deep levels of sedation to allow a painful procedure to be performed.
Moderate: also called conscious sedation, the patient has depressed consciousness but will respond to verbal requests or react to touch. Breathing remains intact, and no support is needed. Deep: The patient cannot be easily aroused but will respond to repeated or painful stimuli.
The CPOT can be used to assess intubated or sedated patients pain based on facial expressions, muscle tension and movement as well as compliance with ventilated breaths for intubated patients or vocalized pain for non-intubated patients.
The Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) is one of the most commonly used instruments to assess the level of psychomotor agitation and sedation in clinical practice and research. This clinician-based observation scale is simple to use, easy to interpret, and has been validated in multiple care settings.
Light sedation: Awakens briefly (less than 10 seconds) with eye contact to verbal command. Moderate sedation: Any movement, except eye contact, in response to command. Deep sedation: No response to voice, but any movement to physical stimulation. Unarousable: No response to voice or physical stimulation.
IV sedation is considered to be a moderate form of sedation, and it's sometimes referred to as twilight sedation since you feel like you're in a dream-like state of relaxation but you remain conscious. Many patients who have undergone IV sedation have little to no memory of their procedure.
What is Level 2 anesthesia?
Level 1: Minimal Sedation. Level 2: Moderate Enteral Sedation. Level 3: Moderate Parenteral Sedation. Level 4: Deep Sedation or General Anesthesia.
Moderate Sedation/Analgesia (“Conscious Sedation”) is a drug-induced depression of consciousness during which patients respond purposefully** to verbal commands, either alone or accompanied by light tactile stimulation. No interventions are required to maintain a patent airway, and spontaneous ventilation is adequate.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), anesthesiologists, other physicians, dentists, and oral surgeons are qualified providers of moderate sedation. Specifically trained Registered Nurses may assist in the administration of moderate sedation.
The Sedation Assessment Tool (SAT) provides a consistent and objective way to monitor both the level of agitation and the level of sedation after medication is given. It can be used to guide specific treatment, including initial and additional sedation.
Impaired kidney, lung, or liver function, advanced age, and sleep apnea are all considered relative contraindications, or cautions, for IV sedation. Patients should discuss their entire medical history with Dr. Newman during their initial appointment so he can determine if IV sedation is appropriate.
How Long Does IV Sedation Last? IV sedation works quickly, with most people falling asleep in roughly 15 to 30 minutes after it's been administered. Once the IV sedation is removed, you will begin to wake up in about 20 minutes and be fully recovered from all sedative effects within six hours.
The immediate effect of the IV Moderate Sedation drugs will wear off in the first several hours after your sedation appointment. We advise our patients to allow for 24 hours to fully recover from the anesthesia.
It can cause apnea, bradycardia, and hypotension. The difference between moderate sedation and deep sedation is elegantly explained by the Texas Board of Nursing (page 20).
Most often, either moderate sedation or deep sedation with the anesthetic propofol are used for colonoscopies. An anesthesiologist is sometimes present for moderate sedation — sometimes called conscious sedation by patients, though the term is technically incorrect.
Propofol Injectable Emulsion is contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to propofol or any of Propofol Injectable Emulsion components. Propofol Injectable Emulsion is contraindicated in patients with allergies to eggs, egg products, soybeans or soy products.