The risk of severe complications during colonoscopy is very low. This risk should be kept low when changing strategies to reduce discomfort during the examination. The increased use of deep sedation from <10% in 2000 to 35% in 2009 might have its downsides in years to come if the trend continues.
Key Points
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Great cultural variation exists in the use of sedation during colonoscopy
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Colonoscopy without sedation is possible, tolerable and cost-effective in trained hands
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Patient feedback is valuable for skills maintenance and keeping procedure risks low
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Extensive use of deep sedation might have unwanted effects on endoscopist training
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A modest increase in the risk of complications is observed with increasing depth of sedation
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Hoff, G. Sliding into the depths of sedation—is this what we want?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 10, 325–326 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2013.71
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2013.71
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