Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.bpa.2025.11.002
Beyza Büyükgebiz Yeşil , Rosemary M.G. Hogg
Point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) of the lung and diaphragm has moved from an area of interest to a significant component of perioperative and critical care practice. Lung PoCUS can rapidly assist in the identification of numerous pathologies including pneumothorax, increased interstitial fluid, pleural effusion, and consolidation. Diaphragm PoCUS complements these findings using either qualitative or quantitative assessment to provide a bedside analysis of diaphragmatic function. PoCUS has been shown to improve patient-centred outcomes in many areas, but its widespread use varies by institution and speciality.
This review combines current concepts in lung and diaphragm PoCUS into a practical, anesthesiology-focused framework for image acquisition, interpretation, and bedside application. We aim to simplify practice by outlining nomenclature, scanning windows, key sonographic signs, and recognizing treatable conditions, while integrating the best available evidence to support perioperative decision-making.
While lung and diaphragm PoCUS may enable rapid, repeatable, and actionable bedside assessment; realizing their full impact requires the development of consistent training and integration into decision pathways.
{"title":"Point of care ultrasound: lung and diaphragm","authors":"Beyza Büyükgebiz Yeşil , Rosemary M.G. Hogg","doi":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.11.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.11.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) of the lung and diaphragm has moved from an area of interest to a significant component of perioperative and critical care practice. Lung PoCUS can rapidly assist in the identification of numerous pathologies including pneumothorax, increased interstitial fluid, pleural effusion, and consolidation. Diaphragm PoCUS complements these findings using either qualitative or quantitative assessment to provide a bedside analysis of diaphragmatic function. PoCUS has been shown to improve patient-centred outcomes in many areas, but its widespread use varies by institution and speciality.</div><div>This review combines current concepts in lung and diaphragm PoCUS into a practical, anesthesiology-focused framework for image acquisition, interpretation, and bedside application. We aim to simplify practice by outlining nomenclature, scanning windows, key sonographic signs, and recognizing treatable conditions, while integrating the best available evidence to support perioperative decision-making.</div><div>While lung and diaphragm PoCUS may enable rapid, repeatable, and actionable bedside assessment; realizing their full impact requires the development of consistent training and integration into decision pathways.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48541,"journal":{"name":"Best Practice & Research-Clinical Anaesthesiology","volume":"39 4","pages":"Pages 296-308"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145705504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.bpa.2025.09.006
Stijn Diels , Steffen Rex , Layth Al tmimi
Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) have undergone significant development over the years and are now considered an essential component of care for patients undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic interventions in various clinical settings. Many traditional and newer sedative agents are used daily, each with a distinct pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile.
While sedative agents are well known to anaesthesiologists, they remain less familiar to many non-anaesthesiology care providers who are increasingly involved in delivering PSA. Established agents such as midazolam, propofol, and ketamine remain commonly used because of their well-known pharmacokinetic and -dynamic profile. Nevertheless, these agents have several side effects, including respiratory depression, haemodynamic instability, and emergence reactions in a particular group of patients. In response to these shortcomings, novel agents such as remimazolam, dexmedetomidine, esketamine, and ciprofol have been introduced. These sedatives show promising improvements in safety and procedural predictability. In contrast, etomidate analogues like ABP-700 and ET-26 are still largely investigational. They aim to minimise organ-specific adverse effects, while keeping the favourable effects of the products from which they are derived.
Despite encouraging findings, direct comparisons across agents are limited. The latter is due to heterogeneity between study methods, population, and outcome measures. The current review aims to provide anaesthesiologists and other healthcare providers with a complete overview of established and novel agents used for PSA, focusing on their pharmacologic properties, clinical application, and safety considerations.
{"title":"Advances in procedural sedation: From traditional agents to novel pharmacologic approaches","authors":"Stijn Diels , Steffen Rex , Layth Al tmimi","doi":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.09.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.09.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) have undergone significant development over the years and are now considered an essential component of care for patients undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic interventions in various clinical settings. Many traditional and newer sedative agents are used daily, each with a distinct pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile.</div><div>While sedative agents are well known to anaesthesiologists, they remain less familiar to many non-anaesthesiology care providers who are increasingly involved in delivering PSA. Established agents such as midazolam, propofol, and ketamine remain commonly used because of their well-known pharmacokinetic and -dynamic profile. Nevertheless, these agents have several side effects, including respiratory depression, haemodynamic instability, and emergence reactions in a particular group of patients. In response to these shortcomings, novel agents such as remimazolam, dexmedetomidine, esketamine, and ciprofol have been introduced. These sedatives show promising improvements in safety and procedural predictability. In contrast, etomidate analogues like ABP-700 and ET-26 are still largely investigational. They aim to minimise organ-specific adverse effects, while keeping the favourable effects of the products from which they are derived.</div><div>Despite encouraging findings, direct comparisons across agents are limited. The latter is due to heterogeneity between study methods, population, and outcome measures. The current review aims to provide anaesthesiologists and other healthcare providers with a complete overview of established and novel agents used for PSA, focusing on their pharmacologic properties, clinical application, and safety considerations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48541,"journal":{"name":"Best Practice & Research-Clinical Anaesthesiology","volume":"39 3","pages":"Pages 206-214"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145536913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.bpa.2025.08.011
Lina Puodziukaite , Marco Perikar Dimaano , Steve Coppens , Danny Feike Hoogma
Procedural sedation in older adults presents distinct clinical challenges due to age-related changes in physiology and pharmacology. As patients age, they experience reduced cardiopulmonary and functional reserve, altered drug distribution and clearance, increased sensitivity to anaesthetics, and a higher burden of comorbidities and polypharmacy. These factors contribute to a heightened risk of complications such as hypotension, hypoxemia, and cognitive dysfunction.
Commonly used sedatives and opioids require careful dose adjustment and monitoring due to their variable and potentially unpredictable haemodynamic and cognitive effects. Emerging evidence supports the safety and predictability of newer agents like remimazolam and dexmedetomidine, while regional anaesthesia combined with light sedation may offer additional protection against cognitive complications. Effective patient-centred care, including thorough preoperative assessment, informed consent, and enhanced intra- and post-procedural monitoring, is essential to improve outcomes.
This review highlights the need for tailored, evidence-based sedation strategies that address the unique pharmacologic and cognitive risks in the older population.
{"title":"Procedural sedation in older adults: A narrative review of pharmacological challenges, cognitive risks, and patient-centred approaches","authors":"Lina Puodziukaite , Marco Perikar Dimaano , Steve Coppens , Danny Feike Hoogma","doi":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.08.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.08.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Procedural sedation in older adults presents distinct clinical challenges due to age-related changes in physiology and pharmacology. As patients age, they experience reduced cardiopulmonary and functional reserve, altered drug distribution and clearance, increased sensitivity to anaesthetics, and a higher burden of comorbidities and polypharmacy. These factors contribute to a heightened risk of complications such as hypotension, hypoxemia, and cognitive dysfunction.</div><div>Commonly used sedatives and opioids require careful dose adjustment and monitoring due to their variable and potentially unpredictable haemodynamic and cognitive effects. Emerging evidence supports the safety and predictability of newer agents like remimazolam and dexmedetomidine, while regional anaesthesia combined with light sedation may offer additional protection against cognitive complications. Effective patient-centred care, including thorough preoperative assessment, informed consent, and enhanced intra- and post-procedural monitoring, is essential to improve outcomes.</div><div>This review highlights the need for tailored, evidence-based sedation strategies that address the unique pharmacologic and cognitive risks in the older population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48541,"journal":{"name":"Best Practice & Research-Clinical Anaesthesiology","volume":"39 3","pages":"Pages 226-235"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145536962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.bpa.2025.09.004
Kristof Nijs , Charlotte Jorissen , An Teunkens , Marc Van de Velde , Björn Stessel
Non-pharmacological sedation techniques are increasingly recognised as valuable adjuncts in modern perioperative care. This narrative review explores the clinical applications of hypnosis, virtual reality, music therapy, aromatherapy, and mindfulness-based interventions in various settings, including regional anaesthesia, paediatrics, obstetrics, and ambulatory surgery. These strategies aim to reduce perioperative anxiety, enhance patient comfort, and lower reliance on pharmacological sedatives. Hypnosis and virtual reality are supported by growing evidence from randomised trials, while simpler interventions such as music and aromatherapy are easily implementable with minimal training. Mindfulness and breathing exercises show promise but remain underexplored in anaesthesia-specific settings. Successful implementation requires selecting appropriate patients, developing effective protocols, and providing staff education. These techniques are most effective when used as part of a multimodal approach to sedation. Further research is needed to assess long-term outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and standardisation across institutions. Non-pharmacological sedation offers a patient-centred, low-risk contribution to safe and personalised anaesthesia care. Their use during procedural sedation, either as standalone strategies or in combination with pharmacological agents, is increasingly recognised across a range of interventional and diagnostic settings.
{"title":"Non-pharmacological sedation techniques: The role of hypnosis, virtual reality, and other strategies","authors":"Kristof Nijs , Charlotte Jorissen , An Teunkens , Marc Van de Velde , Björn Stessel","doi":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.09.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.09.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Non-pharmacological sedation techniques are increasingly recognised as valuable adjuncts in modern perioperative care. This narrative review explores the clinical applications of hypnosis, virtual reality, music therapy, aromatherapy, and mindfulness-based interventions in various settings, including regional anaesthesia, paediatrics, obstetrics, and ambulatory surgery. These strategies aim to reduce perioperative anxiety, enhance patient comfort, and lower reliance on pharmacological sedatives. Hypnosis and virtual reality are supported by growing evidence from randomised trials, while simpler interventions such as music and aromatherapy are easily implementable with minimal training. Mindfulness and breathing exercises show promise but remain underexplored in anaesthesia-specific settings. Successful implementation requires selecting appropriate patients, developing effective protocols, and providing staff education. These techniques are most effective when used as part of a multimodal approach to sedation. Further research is needed to assess long-term outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and standardisation across institutions. Non-pharmacological sedation offers a patient-centred, low-risk contribution to safe and personalised anaesthesia care. Their use during procedural sedation, either as standalone strategies or in combination with pharmacological agents, is increasingly recognised across a range of interventional and diagnostic settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48541,"journal":{"name":"Best Practice & Research-Clinical Anaesthesiology","volume":"39 3","pages":"Pages 196-205"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145536912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.bpa.2025.08.003
Andres Brenes Bastos , Ronny Munoz-Acuna , Andrew P. Notarianni
Non-operating room procedures have become a fundamental component of modern clinical care. Minimally invasive, endovascular, and endoscopic procedures now constitute a large and growing proportion of interventions at hospitals and surgical centers, with projections indicating they will account for over 50 % of anesthetics delivered by 2030. Procedural sedation outside of the operating room presents a unique risk profile that may vary widely by care area. Anesthesiology has a responsibility to help advance sedation safety in these rapidly expanding care areas and to partner with various medical specialties in these efforts. Joint efforts to define standards of care, nomenclature, and professional competencies, as well as to delineate research needs, will help advance these goals and may also lead to the wider recognition of the additive value of anesthesiology in the modern healthcare environment.
{"title":"Procedural sedation outside the operating room: Challenges, guidelines, and future directions","authors":"Andres Brenes Bastos , Ronny Munoz-Acuna , Andrew P. Notarianni","doi":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.08.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.08.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Non-operating room procedures have become a fundamental component of modern clinical care. Minimally invasive, endovascular, and endoscopic procedures now constitute a large and growing proportion of interventions at hospitals and surgical centers, with projections indicating they will account for over 50 % of anesthetics delivered by 2030. Procedural sedation outside of the operating room presents a unique risk profile that may vary widely by care area. Anesthesiology has a responsibility to help advance sedation safety in these rapidly expanding care areas and to partner with various medical specialties in these efforts. Joint efforts to define standards of care, nomenclature, and professional competencies, as well as to delineate research needs, will help advance these goals and may also lead to the wider recognition of the additive value of anesthesiology in the modern healthcare environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48541,"journal":{"name":"Best Practice & Research-Clinical Anaesthesiology","volume":"39 3","pages":"Pages 215-225"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145536961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.bpa.2025.09.008
Nikhil Chawla , Layth Al Tmimi
{"title":"Procedural sedation and analgesia in clinical practice: From historical development to modern care","authors":"Nikhil Chawla , Layth Al Tmimi","doi":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.09.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.09.008","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48541,"journal":{"name":"Best Practice & Research-Clinical Anaesthesiology","volume":"39 3","pages":"Pages 167-168"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145537121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.bpa.2025.10.005
Claudia R. Fernandez Robles, Adriana D. Oprea
Procedural sedation has seen a marked rise in recent years, driven by the development of less invasive diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and the rapid growth of Non-Operating Room Anesthesia (NORA). These advances have opened doors for patients who were once considered too high-risk for traditional surgery, making them appropriate candidates for procedures that can now be performed more safely and comfortably. While many of these interventions are low risk in nature, they can still be lengthy, painful, or distressing needing effective sedation to ensure success.
However, providing procedural sedation to high-risk patients requires more than just standard practice. It demands a thorough understanding of each patient's comorbidities, a clear definition of the sedation goals, deep familiarity with the pharmacology of sedative agents and the ability to rapidly intervene when adverse events arise.
{"title":"Procedural sedation in high-risk patients","authors":"Claudia R. Fernandez Robles, Adriana D. Oprea","doi":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.10.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.10.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Procedural sedation has seen a marked rise in recent years, driven by the development of less invasive diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and the rapid growth of Non-Operating Room Anesthesia (NORA). These advances have opened doors for patients who were once considered too high-risk for traditional surgery, making them appropriate candidates for procedures that can now be performed more safely and comfortably. While many of these interventions are low risk in nature, they can still be lengthy, painful, or distressing needing effective sedation to ensure success.</div><div>However, providing procedural sedation to high-risk patients requires more than just standard practice. It demands a thorough understanding of each patient's comorbidities, a clear definition of the sedation goals, deep familiarity with the pharmacology of sedative agents and the ability to rapidly intervene when adverse events arise.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48541,"journal":{"name":"Best Practice & Research-Clinical Anaesthesiology","volume":"39 3","pages":"Pages 245-254"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145536914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"\"Point-of-care gastric ultrasound for assessing fasting status prior to procedural sedation: A narrative\"","authors":"Jonathan Molina Cifuentes, Ronny Munoz-Acuna, Nikhil Chawla","doi":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.08.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.08.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Procedural sedation carries a risk of aspiration, especially when fasting status is uncertain.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To evaluate the role of POCUS in assessing gastric contents and aspiration risk in patients presenting for procedural sedation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Narrative review of literature examining gastric ultrasound techniques, accuracy, and clinical application in sedation contexts.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>POCUS provides real-time risk stratification, especially in emergency or unplanned settings.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Incorporating gastric POCUS into sedation protocols may improve patient safety and clinical decision-making.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48541,"journal":{"name":"Best Practice & Research-Clinical Anaesthesiology","volume":"39 3","pages":"Pages 236-244"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145536963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.bpa.2025.09.005
Rebecca Jones , Antonogiannakis Anastasios , Roxaan Jappie , Omar Al-Rawi , Neil Coulson , Layth Al Tmimi
Airway obstruction and respiratory depression are common and serious risks during procedural sedation. Sedative drugs reduce pharyngeal tone and ventilatory drive, especially at deeper levels of sedation. A thorough pre-assessment to identify high-risk patients, including those with obesity, obstructive sleep apnoea, or a history of difficult airway management, is important, as well as careful patient selection. Key strategies include sedation titration to the minimal effective dosage, appropriate positioning, early use of airway adjuncts, and continuous monitoring with capnography. High-flow nasal oxygen and techniques like THRIVE can improve oxygenation and extend safe apnoea time. Emerging tools, such as artificial intelligence–assisted monitoring and capnography, may support earlier recognition of airway compromise and enhance safety. A well-prepared, preventative, and proactive approach is essential to improving safety in all sedation settings.
{"title":"Airway management during procedural sedation: Strategies for prevention and complication management","authors":"Rebecca Jones , Antonogiannakis Anastasios , Roxaan Jappie , Omar Al-Rawi , Neil Coulson , Layth Al Tmimi","doi":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.09.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpa.2025.09.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Airway obstruction and respiratory depression are common and serious risks during procedural sedation. Sedative drugs reduce pharyngeal tone and ventilatory drive, especially at deeper levels of sedation. A thorough pre-assessment to identify high-risk patients, including those with obesity, obstructive sleep apnoea, or a history of difficult airway management, is important, as well as careful patient selection. Key strategies include sedation titration to the minimal effective dosage, appropriate positioning, early use of airway adjuncts, and continuous monitoring with capnography. High-flow nasal oxygen and techniques like THRIVE can improve oxygenation and extend safe apnoea time. Emerging tools, such as artificial intelligence–assisted monitoring and capnography, may support earlier recognition of airway compromise and enhance safety. A well-prepared, preventative, and proactive approach is essential to improving safety in all sedation settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48541,"journal":{"name":"Best Practice & Research-Clinical Anaesthesiology","volume":"39 3","pages":"Pages 186-195"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145537077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}