Sedation is used to make the experience of surgery under local anaesthetic more pleasant for those who require it. Most patients require no more than reassurance. It is common that you may not remember much of the surgery if you had sedation. This may not be true in all cases.
Most sedation is like this.
Light sedation is a state of relaxation that may include mild drowsiness. You should always be easily rousable. The anaesthetist will give the sedation through a drip and will monitor you throughout the procedure.
It is important to understand that you will normally be aware, but relaxed, and it is often unhelpful to be too sleepy. You will not be able to see the operation as it happens. The anaesthetist will judge whether you need more sedation and can give extra if necessary.
This sedation is less common.
For some procedures, the surgeon will want you to be very sleepy for some part of the operation. This is usually when they are putting in lots of local anaesthetic, which can be uncomfortable. You may be completely unconscious, although this isn’t strictly necessary.
In most of these cases, the surgeon will want you to wake up during the operation so that you can cooperate with their instructions (e.g. look up, look down). This helps them to get the best result possible.
All procedures have associated risks. Allergic, sight and life-threatening complications can occur but are extremely rare. You can discuss specific concerns with your surgeon or anaesthetist.
For more information on your anaesthetic please follow this link.
Author: Dr. S. Vijayan, Consultant Anaesthetist
Review date: July 2028