Evaluation of hemodynamic changes and patient-reported outcome measures in surgical therapy with or without intravenous sedation: a prospective controlled clinical study

Objectives To determine whether intravenous (IV) sedation would contribute to the stabilization of patients’ hemodynamics during periodontal and oral surgical procedures, and to evaluate the patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Materials and methods Periodontal or oral surgery patients were recruited and distributed into two groups: (1) sedation group (SG): intravenous sedation plus local anesthesia; (2) control group (CG): local anesthesia only. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), heart rate (HR), and oxygen saturation (SaO2), were monitored at 15-min intervals from sitting in the dental chair (baseline) until the end of the treatment. In addition, a subjective assessment of PROMs was obtained through a post-operative questionnaire. Results Forty-nine patients (25 in SG and 24 in CG) were included. The highest SBP and DBP were significantly higher in CG compared to the SG (141.1 ± 18.4 and 133.6 ± 15.1, respectively in SBP; and 85.5 ± 11.0 and 82.9 ± 10.1, respectively in DBP), but no mean significant differences were found between groups ( P value of 0.85 and 0.72 for systolic and diastolic BP, respectively). HR and SaO 2 did not show statistical intra- and inter-group differences. The overall patient satisfaction score was significantly higher in the SG group compared to CG. Conclusions Intravenous moderate sedation seems to contribute to the stabilization of patient’s hemodynamics, especially the systolic blood pressure, although small differences have been found. Clinical relevance Intravenous sedation seems to contribute to stabilize the hemodynamic values, and enhances the patient satisfaction after periodontal and oral surgical treatment in the dental office.