The cost of administering intravenous conscious sedation

CS is an alternative to general anesthesia or MAC in some diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and surgeries, and it can be equally effective in ensuring adequate sedation to facilitate completion of the procedure. It does come with some expense, although still not as costly as general anesthesia. Use of this technique must be undertaken with caution and concern for patient safety, however, and thus some additional expenses will be incurred. With careful selection of the agents used, proper equipment for monitoring, and extensive physician and staff education, the technique has the advantage over general anesthesia in terms of cost not only to the institution but also to patients and to third-party payers.