INTRAVENOUS SEDATION AT VICTORIAN ORAL & FACIAL SURGEONS.
Many dental procedures can be performed under sedation – at VOFS your surgeons will assist you in deciding whether sedation (Sleep Oral Surgery) is suitable for you.
This includes financial advantages of having your Dental Procedure performed under sedation at our Day Surgery Clinic.
the staff at VOFS can explain to you the cost and time savings involved in comparison with undergoing your procedure under General Anaesthetic in a conventional hospital setting.
SEDATION ANAESTHESIA OR CONSCIOUS SEDATION
Sedation Anaesthesia, or Conscious Sedation, are terms used to describe the administration of medicines to reduce anxiety, your awareness of the procedure and to provide ideal conditions for your surgeon to perform the surgery. There are many ways in which many different drugs can be given to achieve sedation – we firmly believe we can offer you the safest, most scientific and best sedation experience possible.
We recently published our IV Sedation audit in the International Journal of Dentistry and Oral Health. The full article can be found here Victorian Oral & Facial Surgeons – Intravenous Sedation Audit Publication
We use what is called TCI TIVA – Target Controlled Infusion Total Intravenous Anaesthesia – a method which delivers your anaesthetic agent via a “smart” infusion pump which is specifically programmed with YOU in mind, according to YOUR height, weight, age, and gender. We provide pain relief by way of ultra-short acting narcotic agents.
YOUR SAFETY AND COMFORT WILL BE OUR PRIMARY CONCERN
Should you decide to undergo your dental procedure under sedation anaesthesia, your safety and comfort will be our primary concern. Our Anaesthesia Sedation Team is headed by Dr Douglas Wells. As the only specialist anaesthetist (ie medical doctor) in Australia to currently hold specialist medical qualifications in anaesthesia in both the USA and Australia, Dr Wells is uniquely qualified to ensure you receive the very best of care.
After twelve years of medical/anaesthesia training in Melbourne, Dr. Wells spent many years in the United States where he taught at the University of California, the University of Texas and worked in private practice in the Mid-West. He specialised in Cardiac Anaesthesia, Neurosurgical Anaesthesia and Trauma Anaesthesia, was the Director of the Recovery Room in Dallas, Texas, and during the visit of President Ronald Reagan to Texas was his designated standby anaesthetist.
In addition to his time spent in the USA, he has held full-time Staff Anaesthetist positions at both the Royal Melbourne and St Vincent’s Hospitals in Melbourne, and was for over 10 years a Visiting Anaesthetist at the Royal Dental Hospital.
DR WELLS
Dr Wells has published 30 scholarly articles and developed his interest in sedation anaesthesia whilst working in the US. Since returning to Australia, he has continued to modify and improve his sedation techniques. A passionate advocate of the use of adjunctive relaxation therapy whilst you are falling asleep, courtesy of training received in hypnotherapy in the USA, Dr Wells will likely have you lying in the sun or drinking a glass of your favourite wine whilst he drifts you slowly off to sleep.
Dr Wells operates under by-laws that support and facilitate a quality health service that delivers safe care.
To view a full copy of the current (health service name) by-laws, please click here Douglas Wells Bylaws
ULTRA- SHORT ACTING INTRAVENOUS ANAESTHETIC AGENTS
Unlike other centres in Melbourne performing sedation anaesthesia, the technique used at VOFS utilises ONLY ultra- short acting intravenous anaesthetic agents – we never use anaesthetic gases, which have an unacceptably high incidence of nausea. Likewise, we do not use Valium like drugs (Benzodiazepines) due to their long lasting effects and resultant sleepiness after the procedure. (Non-medically trained sedationists WILL primarily use these techniques).
Additionally, with your safety in mind, you will receive minimal exposure to other drugs – we rarely administer intravenous antibiotics and the technique used eliminates the requirement to administer anti-nausea agents.
Our aim at VOFS is to provide you with both safety and comfort, utilising a sophisticated computerised intravenous anaesthesia delivery system, coupled with state of the art monitoring of your Heart, Blood Pressure, Pulse Rate, Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Breathing levels, all combined with the wealth of experience provided by your Specialist Anaesthetist. Your surgeon will provide long-lasting post-operative pain relief via the administration of Local Anaesthetic to the surgical area.
SPECIALIST MEDICAL EXPERTISE
We are able to provide you a pleasant experience where there is very little, or even no memory of the procedure, and can ensure that you will be safely discharged from our Day Surgery Clinic around 20 minutes after completion of your procedure.
At VOFS you can expect to receive this combination of specialist medical expertise, coupled with our technique of ultra-short acting intravenous agents and the specific sophisticated monitoring techniques we employ.
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