By full sedation, I assume you mean a general anaesthetic - which was the question posed by the original poster.
In the UK (and elsewhere) the risks and benefits of what degree of sedation or anaesthesia, if any, should be used are routinely considered .
The number of deaths attributed to the use of general anaestetics is now quite low in the UK* (0.001% or 1 in 100,000). The number of patients suffering an allergic reaction is slightly higher (0.01% or 1 in 10,000). The number of patients suffering permanent nerve damage is significantly higher (0.1% or 1 in 1,000).. Overall there's about a 0.111% chance of serious complications under general anaethetic. Not massively significant to an individual patient but when set against the massive number of operations performed by the NHS every year (over 5 million) and the almost equally massive number of endoscopies (over 3 million) you can see why there's a reluctance to use general anaesthetics more often. By not routinely offering a general anaethetic with an endoscopy the risk of over 3,000 people per year suffering serious complications (and potentially 30 people dying) is massively reduced.
That said, your surgeon should assess the balance of risk and benefit for each individual patient and if there is a high risk that you would suffer emotional trauma by not being given a general anaesthetic that should be taken into consideration. It would be worth discussing your fears and concerns with your consultant before your endoscopy to discuss what options are available under your specific circumstances.
By full sedation, I assume you mean a general anaesthetic - which was the question posed by the original poster.
In the UK (and elsewhere) the risks and benefits of what degree of sedation or anaesthesia, if any, should be used are routinely considered .
The number of deaths attributed to the use of general anaestetics is now quite low in the UK* (0.001% or 1 in 100,000). The number of patients suffering an allergic reaction is slightly higher (0.01% or 1 in 10,000). The number of patients suffering permanent nerve damage is significantly higher (0.1% or 1 in 1,000).. Overall there's about a 0.111% chance of serious complications under general anaethetic. Not massively significant to an individual patient but when set against the massive number of operations performed by the NHS every year (over 5 million) and the almost equally massive number of endoscopies (over 3 million) you can see why there's a reluctance to use general anaesthetics more often. By not routinely offering a general anaethetic with an endoscopy the risk of over 3,000 people per year suffering serious complications (and potentially 30 people dying) is massively reduced.
That said, your surgeon should assess the balance of risk and benefit for each individual patient and if there is a high risk that you would suffer emotional trauma by not being given a general anaesthetic that should be taken into consideration. It would be worth discussing your fears and concerns with your consultant before your endoscopy to discuss what options are available under your specific circumstances.
