Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings January 2014, Volume 27, Number 1 | Page 14

Sedation levels during propofol administration for outpatient
colonoscopies
Michael A. E. Ramsay, MD, Kate B. Newman, BSN, RN, Robert M. Jacobson, MD, Charles T. Richardson, MD, Lindsay
Rogers, MPA, Bertrand J. Brown, MD, H. A. Tillmann Hein, MD, Edward B. De Vol, PhD, and Yahya A. Daoud, MSC

The levels of sedation required for patients to comfortably undergo colonoscopy with propofol were examined. One hundred patients undergoing
colonoscopy with propofol were enrolled. In addition to standard-of-care
monitoring, sedation level was monitored with the Patient State Index (PSI)
obtained from a brain function monitor, transcutaneous carbon dioxide
(tcpCO2) was monitored with the TCM TOSCA monitor, and end-tidal carbon dioxide was monitored via nasal cannula. The Ramsay Sedation Score
(RSS) was also assessed and recorded. After baseline data were obtained
from the first 40 consecutive patients enrolled in the study, the remaining
60 patients were randomized into two groups. In one group the PSI value
was blinded from the anesthesiologist and in the second group the PSI
was visible and the impact of this information on the management of the
sedation was analyzed. Overall 96% of patients reached levels of deep
sedation and 89% reached levels of general anesthesia. When comparing the blinded to PSI versus unblinded groups, the