Clinical aspects of nurse anesthesia practice. Sedation and monitored anesthesia care.

Safe monitoring of patients receiving sedation mandates that all care givers recognize the potential physiologic trespass of sedatives, hypnotics, and opioid-like drugs on cerebral or respiratory systems. They must be ready to recognize this affront immediately, have necessary resuscitative equipment available, possess prerequisite skills to intervene in adverse changes, and know when to seek additional help. The long history of CRNA practice has helped to define nursing roles in this important form of perioperative care.