Anesthesia
Pre-Intravenous Anesthesia Sedation guidelines
Before your surgery
Please review the information below carefully in the days leading up to your surgery:
- Nothing to eat or drink (including water) for eight hours prior to your appointment. Prescription medication may be taken with a small sip of water.
- Do not smoke for at least 12 hours prior to surgery. Better yet, cut down or quit smoking altogether well before your surgery takes place.
- All patients, regardless of age, must be accompanied by a responsible adult. They must escort the patient to the office, remain in the office while the procedure takes place, and escort the patient home.
- You should not drive a vehicle or operate any machinery for at 24 hours following anesthesia.
- Wear comfortable footwear and loose fitting clothing, preferably with a short-sleeved shirt, or sleeves that rolled up past the elbow.
- Remove your contact lenses, jewelry, and dentures before going into surgery.
- No lipstick, excessive makeup, or nail polish should be worn the day of surgery.
- If you are sick with a cold, sore throat, or upset stomach, please notify the office.
Anesthesia makes surgery bearable, for both doctor and patient. There are several types of anesthesia available. Which one chosen depends largely upon the nature of the surgery being performed, and how nervous the patient is beforehand.
IV Sedation
General anesthesia enables the patient to comfortably “sleep” through surgery.
Oral surgeons must complete at least three months of in-hospital anesthesia training in order to be qualified to administer anesthesia. Our doctors completed 4–6 months of anesthesia training. During this training, oral surgeons are being trained the same as anaesthesiology residents. They are on the anesthesia service, their attending doctors are anesthesiologists, and they are providing anesthesia for all types of cases, like general surgery and orthopedic surgery.
Oral Surgeons in the State of Texas must undergo an in-office re-evaluation every 5 years. During these inspections, the examiner looks at all monitoring devices, emergency equipment and evaluates the doctors and surgical staff for readiness to handle anesthesia-related emergencies. All monitors and emergency equipment are tested and calibrated annually. We also maintain certifications for ACLS (advanced heart resuscitation for adults) and PALS (advanced heart resuscitation for children).
There are various levels of Intravenous, or “IV” Sedation we can offer to patients to keep them comfortable during their surgery, ranging from “twilight sedation” to general anesthesia, where the patient is completely asleep. These are not only designed for you to get through your surgery without a twinge of pain, but for you to not recall any details of your procedure. In “twilight sedation,” you are not totally asleep, but calm and relaxed, occasionally drifting in and out of a low-level of consciousness. With general anesthesia, you’re completely out of it.
We can’t stress it enough; your comfort and safety are front and center when it comes to anesthesia. If you have any worries regarding the type of anesthesia we’ll be using during your procedure, please do not hesitate to bring them up during your pre-op consultation.
How Is The IV Sedation Administered?
IV sedation is administered through a thin catheter, inserted into a vein in your arm or hand. Medication is introduced via a slow, but constant “drip” through an intravenous tube. You should start feeling relaxed and comfortable within a few seconds. It typically takes 3 to 4 minutes to fall asleep.
At Alliance Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, our goal is to use as little medication as possible to complete your procedure without you experiencing any pain or discomfort. IV sedation is very safe; safer, in fact, than oral sedation — taking pills by mouth to go to sleep. If needed, we can reverse the sedation with Flumazenil and Naloxone.
