About Our Specialist Anaesthesia Care

Sleeping Safely is a specialist medical service in Victoria offering anaesthetic and sedation care for patients undergoing medical, dental and other procedures both in their health professionals’ clinics and in hospitals.

Anaesthesia is a state of controlled unconsciousness that eliminates all sensations including pain. This allows surgical and other procedures to be undertaken without undue distress or discomfort.

Sedation is often described as “a light sleep” and is gaining popularity in dental care as “sleep dentistry”, and involves the careful administration of intravenous drugs to achieve a state of relaxation. Patients often sleep through their procedures and have little or no recollection of these events. Sedation often allows patients to avoid the risk, cost and time involved with having a general anaesthetic.

Sedation is especially useful for patients who

• Have significant anxiety about medical, dental and other procedures.
• Have had traumatic medical, dental or other experiences in the past.
• Are undergoing painful complex treatment/surgery.
• Are highly anxious of needles, noises and/or smells associated with their procedures.