Providing safe, efficient and affordable sedation in endoscopy

We compliment the authors of the ProSed 2 Study1 for their large-scale analysis on the safety of sedation in endoscopic procedures. The vast majority of the over 300 000 endoscopies in this study have been performed under propofol sedation administered by the endoscopic team and only 0.2% were supported by an anaesthetist.

In Germany and many other European countries, propofol is routinely administered by the endoscopist or trained endoscopy nurse according to clearly defined standards as set out in the European or German guidelines.2 3 Propofol sedation administered by non-anaesthetists is even practised widely in doctors' surgeries with endoscopy facilities.

Currently, according to recommendations of a working party of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG),4 intravenous propofol administration for endoscopic procedures in the UK requires an additional anaesthetic team including an anaesthetist and usually also operating department personnel. The...

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