Sedation and analgesia in ambulatory settings

At the ASPRS Annual Meeting in October of 1998, the ASPRS Board of Director s convened the Task Force on Sedation and Analgesia in Ambulatory Settings. This task force was called to address, in detail, concerns that had been i dentified by many plastic surgery organizations about sedation in outpatien t surgery settings. The concern about safety and sedation in outpatient sur gery facilities is also a major focus for many state legislatures and medic al boards. The task force has provided guidelines that, if followed, will p rovide safe sedation and analgesia for plastic surgery patients in all type s of outpatient surgery settings. The statement from the task force represe nts an extensive review of the literature and existing guidelines and a cri tical analysis of clinical experience. The task force members were the foll owing: Ronald Iverson, M.D., Chair; Julio Garcia, M.D., Lipoplasty Society representative; Thomas Joas, M.D., Medical Board of California; Brian Kinne y, M.D., ASAPS representative; Dennis Lynch, M.D., ASPRS representative; Ch arles McLeskey, M.D. (Chair, Anesthesiology, Scott and White Clinic, Temple , Texas); and Robert Singer, M.D., AAAASF representative. I would like to t hank the members of the task force for the insights that they brought to th is process. The final document represents their significant contributions t o these efforts.