This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Non-IV sedation eases anxiety for patients undergoing cataract surgery
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
NEW YORK — Patients who received sublingual anesthesia prior to cataract surgery had less anxiety than those who underwent an intravenous form of anesthesia for cataract surgery, according to a presenter here.
“Sublingual sedation approaches decrease the need for IVs. You get a predictable dosing, ...it allows a sublingual administration, patients really like it, and you get a little bit better focusing on the light and a ketamine stare,” John P. Berdahl, MD, said at the OSN New York meeting.
John P. Berdahl
Patients who were sedated with one or two MKO Melt tablets (Imprimis Pharmaceuticals) under the tongue before cataract surgery experienced significantly less anxiety and similar sedation levels as those who received IV sedation, according to the presentation. Procedure time for cases using an MKO Melt decreased by 30 minutes without the need for an IV, Berdahl said.
In an evaluation of 292 patients sedated with MKO Melts, 85% described their sedation level as “just right” and 90% described their experience using the MKO Melt as “comfortable,” Berdahl noted. – by Robert Linnehan
Reference:
Berdahl JP. Sublingual anesthesia for cataract surgery. Presented at: OSN New York annual meeting; Nov. 4-6, 2016; New York.
Disclosure: Berdahl reports he is a consultant for Imprimis Pharmaceuticals and helped develop the MKO Melt product.