Sedation and Analgesia in Ambulatory Settings

At the ASPRS Annual Meeting in October of 1998, the ASPRS Board of Directors convened the Task Force on Sedation and Analgesia in Ambulatory Settings. This task force was called to address, in detail, concerns that had been identified by many plastic surgery organizations about sedation in outpatient surgery settings. The concern about safety and sedation in outpatient surgery facilities is also a major focus for many state legislatures and medical boards. The task force has provided guidelines that, if followed, will provide safe sedation and analgesia for plastic surgery patients in all types of outpatient surgery settings. The statement from the task force represents an extensive review of the literature and existing guidelines and a critical analysis of clinical experience. The task force members were the following: Ronald Iverson, M.D., Chair; Julio Garcia, M.D., Lipoplasty Society representative; Thomas Joas, M.D., Medical Board of California; Brian Kinney, M.D., ASAPS representative; Dennis Lynch, M.D., ASPRS representative; Charles McLeskey, M.D. (Chair, Anesthesiology, Scott and White Clinic, Temple, Texas); and Robert Singer, M.D., AAAASF representative. I would like to thank the members of the task force for the insights that they brought to this process. The final document represents their significant contributions to these efforts.