A DOCS Education member writes in:
I have a 30 year old male patient desiring a sedation appointment. His only significant medical condition is Hepatitis C, treated with Harvoni. I cannot find anything in the literature to contraindicate oral sedation, but I just wanted to run it by the DOCS forum in case.
Dr. Anthony S. Feck, DOCS Education Dean of Faculty, responds:
The concern with treating hepatitis C patients is two-fold. First, contracting the disease from them if they are a chronic carrier, and second, the possible compromise in synthetic functions and biotransformation.
The first concern can be addressed by using universal precautions. The second concern can be addressed by a medical consult in which you obtain their physician's opinion as well as the patient's liver function tests. You want to make sure your patient is not in their acute phase of the infection, and you want the patient's AST and ALT to be below 200 units/L.
The information contained in this, or any case study post in Incisor should never be considered a proper replacement for necessary training and/or education regarding adult oral conscious sedation. Regulations regarding sedation vary by state. This is an educational and informational piece. DOCS Education accepts no liability whatsoever for any damages resulting from any direct or indirect recipient's use of or failure to use any of the information contained herein. DOCS Education would be happy to answer any questions or concerns mailed to us at 106 Lenora Street, Seattle, WA 98121. Please print a copy of this posting and include it with your question or request.
