Abstract
Monitored Anaesthesia Care (MAC) refers to the provision of sedation and/or analgesia during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in the presence or absence of regional anaesthesia. Monitored anaesthesia care has developed as a key component of modern ambulatory surgery and offers patients the benefits of regional anaesthesia with sufficient sedation to permit the patient to tolerate the procedure. Sedation is not the exclusive province of the anaesthetist. Sedative techniques are practised by other clinicians using a wide variety of agents. Used appropriately, monitored anaesthesia care extends the repertoire of surgical procedures that can be considered for ambulatory patients and may also permit day surgery in patient groups who would traditionally be considered unsuitable for outpatient general anaesthesia. Monitored anaesthesia care spans the continuum between conscious sedation and general anaesthesia. It is recognised that in such cases, the level of sedation may vary widely during a single case and the potential jeopardy to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems justifies the continuous presence of an anaesthetist and the deployment of additional monitoring techniques.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | On the Study and Practice of Intravenous Anaesthesia |
| Editors | Jaap Vuyk, Frank Engbers, Sandra Groen-Mulder |
| Publisher | Springer Netherlands |
| Pages | 241-248 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-94-015-9604-6 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-90-481-5366-4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2000 |