Austrian Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (ÖGGH) - Guidelines on sedation and monitoring during gastrointestinal endoscopy

Introduction The increasing invasiveness of endoscopic examinations and interventions means that adequate sedation and appropriate patient monitoring are required. Overall, endoscopic interventions in the gastrointestinal tract are low risk, provided that they are performed in sufficient numbers by experienced personnel [ 1 ]. The risk of the examination or intervention depends primarily on the invasiveness and technical complexity of the procedure, but also on the patient’s individual risk profile and the specific side-effect profile of the sedatives or anesthetics used. The overall rate of serious complications in gastroenterological examinations and interventions is between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 7500 [ 2 ]. The quality of procedures and, in turn, patient safety depend greatly on precise and careful risk estimation before, during, and after the procedure. Information provided to patients on the planned procedure should not only be timely and cover the invasiveness of the procedure - it should include information not only on the risks of the procedure itself but also on the specific risks of sedation.