Sedation during regional anaesthesia: indications, advantages and methods.

Patient management is a vital component of regional anaesthesia, and the appropriate method and level of sedation must be chosen for each patient on an individual basis. This may range from simple distraction through pharmacologically induced anxiolysis or hypnosis, to light general anaesthesia by the inhalational or intravenous routes. Intravenous sedation is most widely used and suitable agents include the benzodiazepines, the intravenous induction agents and the opioids. Currently, midazolam and propofol are considered to be the most suitable drugs. Patient safety must never be compromised and pharmacological sedation must be administered by a trained practitioner, with appropriate patient monitoring and provision of supplementary oxygen.