Procedural sedation and analgesia in the emergency department.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Procedural sedation and analgesia is frequently administered outside of the operating room in emergency departments (EDs) and ICUs. Evidence was sought concerning patients' safety in the ED. RECENT FINDINGS Procedural sedation, when administered in the ED by trained personnel, is safe. Extensive literature demonstrates that propofol, ketamine, midazalam, and fentanyl are appropriate medications with proper monitoring and the presence of appropriate personnel. Preprocedural fasting may not be necessary in many cases. SUMMARY With appropriately trained personnel, proper equipment, and the studied drugs ED sedation and analgesia is safe and an appropriate procedure.