Deep sedation

What Is
Deep Sedation?
Why Deep Sedation
Is Used
What to Do Before
Deep Sedation
What to Do After
Deep Sedation
Handling Emergencies
After Deep Sedation

What is Deep sedation?

Deep sedation therapy is a carefully monitored medical process designed to ensure your safety and comfort during certain examinations or procedures. It involves a series of steps.

Medication Administration → Inducing Sleep → Consciousness Suppression

We start by giving you medication that helps you relax and drift into a sleep-like state. This medication gently induces sleep, allowing you to be unaware of the procedure. While you're in this sleep-like state, your awareness of the surroundings is diminished, so you won't feel any discomfort.

Respiratory Independence

Throughout this process, you'll continue to breathe on your own, maintaining your body's natural breathing rhythm.

Reduced Physical Responsiveness

The medication ensures that you will not react to physical stimulation, resembling a deep sleep, which allows us to perform the examination or treatment without any movements that could interfere.

What is the purpose of administering deep sedation therapy?

The purpose of deep sedation therapy is to provide a safe and calm environment for medical examinations.

Eliminate Examination Challenges

Calm and Comfort : For children who may feel anxious about procedures, deep sedation helps alleviate fear, ensuring they remain still and free from distress during sensitive procedures like bone marrow biopsy or intrathecal chemotherapy.

Muscle Relaxation and Stability

Efficiency and Safety : With the child in a calm, sleep-like state, we can perform the necessary examinations quickly and safely, without any interruptions or complications.

Pre-Sedation Precautions

Before deep sedation therapy, it's important to understand the process. You will receive thorough information about the therapy, and we ask that you complete a consent form to acknowledge your understanding and agreement.

To prevent any potential complications such as airway obstruction, we require fasting before the procedure

6-hour fasting Avoid any food or drinks for six hours if you've had a light meal or snack, to prevent the risk of vomiting due to the sedation medication.
8-hour fasting If you've had a regular meal, please fast for eight hours before the procedure.

Post-Sedation Precautions

After the therapy, even though your child may appear awake and ready to go home, the effects of the sedation may linger for a few hours. It's essential to follow these dietary guidelines :

Meals

Immediate Fasting Continue to fast until your child is fully awake and alert.
1 hour after procedure Start reintroducing food one hour after the procedure is completed.
Beverage beginning with clear liquids such as water, juice, or electrolyte drinks.
Soft foods If clear liquids are well-tolerated, you can then offer soft foods like soup, milk, yogurt, porridge, or mashed potatoes.
Regular diet Your child can resume their normal diet if they experience no issues with vomiting after eating soft foods.
Please remember, these precautions are in place to ensure the safety and comfort of your child as they recover from sedation therapy.

Post-Sedation Activity Precautions

Positioning Make sure your child is positioned properly to keep the airway open and clear after the procedure.
Fall Prevention For safety, your child should not be left unattended or allowed to walk around for 4-6 hours post-procedure to prevent falls due to the lingering effects of the sedation.
Post-Sedation Activity Precautions On the day of the sedation therapy, avoid letting your child engage in activities that need a lot of focus or coordination, like riding a bike, skateboarding, or skating.

Post-Sedation Sleep Precautions

Observation If your child takes a nap when you get home, periodically check to ensure they are breathing easily and not showing signs of vomiting.
Sleep Positioning Place your child on their side to sleep, which helps keep their airway open.
Posture and Safety Be cautious not to cover your child completely with blankets and avoid letting them sleep on their stomach.

Recognizing Emergencies After Deep Sedation Therapy

In case of the following symptoms, call emergency services immediately at 119 and seek urgent care by contacting the emergency room at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.

📞 Emergency Telephone Number

119
📞 Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital

1588-1511

Respiratory Distress
breathing, showing signs of a rash, itching,
or breaking out in a cold sweatitching, or cold sweat.
Cyanosis
If you notice the skin
turning a blue or gray color.
Unarousable
If your child cannot be
woken up from sleep.
Persistent Symptoms
Continuous nausea, vomiting, or headache.
In infants, inconsolable crying can be a sign of discomfort.