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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

E-Patient Counseling Trial (E-PACO): Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
Computer-assisted personalized sedation for upper endoscopy and colonoscopy: a comparative, multicenter randomized
Daniel J Pambianco1, John J Vargo, Ronald E Pruitt
1Charlottesville Medical Research and Charlottesville Gastroenterology Associates, 325 Winding River Lane, Suite 102, Charlottesville, VA 22911, USA.
Background:
The SEDASYS System is an investigational computer-assisted personalized sedation system integrating propofol delivery with patient monitoring to enable endoscopist/nurse teams to safely administer propofol.
Objective:
To compare the safety and effectiveness of the SEDASYS System to the current standard of care for sedation during routine endoscopic procedures.
Design:
Nonblinded multicenter randomized comparative study.
Setting:
Four ambulatory surgery centers, 3 endoscopy centers, and 1 academic center in the United States.
Patients:
One thousand American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status class I to III adults undergoing routine colonoscopy or EGD.
Interventions:
Sedation with the SEDASYS System (SED) and sedation with each site's current standard of care (CSC; benzodiazepine/opioid combination).
Main Outcome Measurements:
Area under the curve of oxygen desaturation was the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints included patient satisfaction, clinician satisfaction, level of sedation, and patient recovery time.
Results:
Four hundred ninety-six patients were randomized to SED and 504 to CSC. Area under the curve of oxygen desaturation was significantly lower for SED (23.6 s·%) than for CSC (88.0 s·%; P = .028). Patients were predominately minimally to moderately sedated in both groups. SED patients were significantly more satisfied than CSC patients (P = .007). Clinician satisfaction was greater with SED than with CSC (P < .001). SED patients recovered faster than CSC patients (P < .001). The incidence of adverse events was 5.8% in the SED group and 8.7% in the CSC group.
Limitations:
Nonblinded.
Conclusions:
The SEDASYS System could provide endoscopist/nurse teams a safe and effective on-label means to administer propofol to effect minimal to moderate sedation during routine colonoscopy and EGD.
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