RT Book, Section A1 Myers, Justin G. A1 Kelly, Jennifer A2 Tintinalli, Judith E. A2 Ma, O. John A2 Yealy, Donald M. A2 Meckler, Garth D. A2 Stapczynski, J. Stephan A2 Cline, David M. A2 Thomas, Stephen H. SR Print(0) ID 1166529885 T1 Procedural Sedation and Analgesia in Adults T2 Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide, 9e YR 2020 FD 2020 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781260019933 LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1166529885 RD 2023/02/05 AB Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) for unscheduled, time-sensitive procedures is a standard practice in the ED.1,2The accepted definition and goals of PSA are “the use of anxiolytic, sedative, hypnotic, analgesic, and/or dissociative medications(s) to attenuate anxiety, pain and/or motion. These agents are administered in order to facilitate amnesia or decreased awareness and/or patient comfort and safety during a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure.”1-5 Levels of sedation are defined by the patient’s level of responsiveness and cardiopulmonary function, not by the agents used (Table 37-1).6 Although these are the currently accepted definitions of levels of sedation, sedation is a continuum, and responsiveness alone is not a perfect tool to judge the level of sedation.4,7,8 By definition, patients receiving PSA do not require routine airway protection with endotracheal intubation or other airway adjuncts. This is in contrast to provision of general anesthesia, which typically requires airway protection. This chapter focuses on PSA in adults. For children, see Chapter 115, “Pain Management and Procedural Sedation in Infants and Children.”