“Is it common to wake up during a colonoscopy?”
I am a 49 year old female. I want to know if it is common to wake up during a colonoscopy?
8 Answers
Anesthesia for a colonoscopy is done under moderate sedation. This means that it is possible to wake up during the procedure. If you are concerned about this possibility, it should be discussed with the provider that is administering your sedation.
Over the past 5-10 years, the standard of care for colonoscopy has been the administration of propofol to achieve a state of deep sedation for the patient. However, the possibility of awareness still exists, especially in patients with high tolerance for sedatives, such as those who liberalize alcohol, narcotics and benzodiazepines.
Hi,
It may happen. And it depends on how much anesthetic you receive for the colonoscopy. The more sleeping medicine you receive, the less chance of waking up during the procedure.
But even if you wake up, your anesthesiologist or your nurse anesthetist may give you more sleeping medicine to put you back to sleep.
Good luck.
Sincerely,
M. Tabatabai, MD
It may happen. And it depends on how much anesthetic you receive for the colonoscopy. The more sleeping medicine you receive, the less chance of waking up during the procedure.
But even if you wake up, your anesthesiologist or your nurse anesthetist may give you more sleeping medicine to put you back to sleep.
Good luck.
Sincerely,
M. Tabatabai, MD
Yes
General anesthesia is not routinely used for colonoscopy. Instead, deep sedation with propofol alone or a combination of a benzodiazepine (Valium or Versed) and a narcotic (Fentanyl) are used. For most gastroenterologists and anesthesiologists, propofol is the preferred technique but requires the presence of an anesthesia provider in most states. Since the goal is sedation, then it is possible for a patient to awaken and have recall of some events. The vast majority of patients do not have any recall.
Yes, colonoscopies are usually done under various levels of sedation, according to the needs of the endoscopist and the need for the patient to be repositioned during the procedure. Little sedation is needed when the scope is being withdrawn, and the patient can often watch the video during the scope.
Colonoscopies are done using mild sedation to deep sedation. A general anesthetic is usually overkill. With mild sedation, the patient is awake, but relaxed. With deep sedation, the patient is asleep and unaware of their environment. The patient's awareness can be anywhere in between those two. So, depending on the type and amounts of anesthetic one gets, waking up during a colonoscopy could possibly be normal and common.
No
From Christopher Creighton
“Quality care for a quality life”
From Christopher Creighton
“Quality care for a quality life”
