Chapter 18: Practical Considerations

Question 1

Factors that may influence the concentration of N2O-O2 necessary for adequate sedation:

Answer 1

• the patient’s level of anxiety
• expected level of pain
• age
• presence of other sedatives or CNS depressants

Question 2

when should an anxious patient and the medically compromised patient be scheduled?

Answer 2

morning; earlier in the day after a night of restful sleep. when a medically compromised patient is rested and better able to tolerate any additional stresses imposed by the procedure. an appointment scheduled late in the day allows the patient more time to worry and for their level of anxiety to increase

Question 3

main important safety feature of all pharmacosedative techniques…

Answer 3

that the patient remains conscious and is able to respond to verbal and physical stimuli

Question 4

two means of assessment of recovery from sedation are recommended

Answer 4

1) monitoring of vital signs

2) a brief neurological assessment