Nurse-administered propofol sedation is safe for patients with obstructive sleep apnea undergoing routine endoscopy: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND

Nurse-administered propofol sedation (NAPS) is now in widespread use. The safety profile of NAPS for routine endoscopic procedures in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is unknown.

AIMS

To compare outcomes of patients with and without OSA undergoing routine endoscopic procedures with NAPS and standard conscious sedation (CS) with benzodiazepines and narcotics.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study.

RESULTS

A total of 215 patients were placed in one of four groups: OSA patients undergoing endoscopy with NAPS, OSA patients undergoing endoscopy with standard CS, non-OSA patients undergoing endoscopy with NAPS, and non-OSA patients undergoing endoscopy with standard CS. Procedures were generally accomplished faster with NAPS. There was no statistically significant difference in complication rates or overall outcomes in patients with OSA when compared to non-OSA patients when either NAPS or CS was utilized.

CONCLUSIONS

Routine endoscopic procedures using NAPS are safe in patients with documented OSA, with complication rates comparable to when using CS. NAPS helped to decrease procedure times in general.