What anesthetics are used for short anaesthesia?

A colonoscopy is usually performed on an awake patient, as the procedure is unpleasant but not very painful. Usually the patients are given a sedative, such as Dormicum (Midazolam). This causes them to sleep during the examination.

It is also possible to perform the colonoscopy under a short anaesthetic. In this case the drug Propofol is used. It puts the patient into a pleasant, short sleep.

Propofol is administered via the vein shortly before the start of the gastroscopy. Possible side effects are a drop in blood pressure and reduced respiratory drive. As a result, the drug must not be given to patients with circulatory instability and all patients must remain in hospital or in the doctor’s office for observation for a few hours after the colonoscopy.

Dormicum or midazolam belongs to the group of benzodiazepines. Dormicum is preferred for sedation prior to surgery or diagnostic procedures. Patients are not narcotised under Dormicum, but often fall asleep.

Dormicum can also be used as a tablet for short-term sleep disturbances. Long-term use for more than two weeks leads to dependency. Dormicum should not be used in children or adolescents, or in patients with liver failure.

Ether

Ether is a historical anaesthetic which was first used for anaesthesia in the 19th century. Especially for surgery, the discovery of ether was essential, as until then patients could only be shielded from the pain of surgery with alcohol and opiates. Today, ether is no longer used as an anaesthetic because ether-air mixtures have a high risk of explosion.In addition, there are better controllable anaesthetics available today, which act shorter than ether and whose side effects are not as unpleasant.

Anesthetic for gastroscopy

For a gastroscopy, usually only the throat wall is numbed by a spray of a local anesthetic such as lidocaine. Some doctors also use sedatives routinely or at the patient’s request. Anaesthetics such as Propofol or Midazolam are used here. The advantage of sedation is that patients do not cramp up as much during the examination and do not remember the unpleasant examination so well after the examination.