Patients more likely to be discharged home with anesthesiologist-administered sedation

Editor's Note

Anesthesiologist-administered or -directed sedation leads to higher rates of patient discharges to home rather than a long-term care (LTC) facility, according to a study presented at the Anesthesiology 2023 annual meeting.

The study focused on interventional radiology (IR) procedures–specifically 9,682 patients who had sedation in the IR suite and 1,639 (16.93%) who were discharged from the hospital to an LTC because of complications. Some highlights include:

• The majority of those discharged to an LTC facility (1,429 or 87%) had their sedation administered or directed by a physician who was not an anesthesiologist. 
• Although anesthesiologists more commonly administered or directed sedation for higher-risk patients, such as those who had more invasive procedures, these patients were still nearly 70% more likely to be discharged home than those who received sedation from a physician who was not an anesthesiologist.

The findings reflect that anesthesiologists provide ongoing support to patients and have the training to identify and address complications early.