Battery Back Up Lights in Dental Offices

[luckyshadow]

Have a little debate going on and want some outside opinions.....



Question ( debate)

Is Battery back up lighting required in ALL patient care rooms where nitrous oxide is administered ?

I say yes it is,based on :


517.2 Definition of Anesthetizing Location and Relative Analgesia
and
517.63(A) Battery - Powered Emergency Lighting

and 700.12(F)

 

[raider1]

I would agree,

517.63(A) is very clear IMHO that if you have a patient care area that is an anesthetizing location that a battery powered lighting unit is required.

The definition of anesthetizing location includes relative analgesia, which includes the use of nitrous oxide.

Chris

 

[steve66]

I'm not sure the doses of Nitrous Oxide are always large enough to fall under the definition.

If its only being adminstered as "laughing gas", and the goal is to just relax the patient, I'm not sure it counts as being anesthesia or relative analgesia. It seems like the defintions of these are to "block pain".

So count me as a definite "Not Sure".

Steve

 

[raider1]

I'm not sure the doses of Nitrous Oxide are always large enough to fall under the definition.

If its only being adminstered as "laughing gas", and the goal is to just relax the patient, I'm not sure it counts as being anesthesia or relative analgesia. It seems like the defintions of these are to "block pain".

So count me as a definite "Not Sure".

Steve

My wife is a dental assistant and I have asked her about the definition of "Conscious sedation" with the use of nitrous oxide.

I think that medically if you use nitrous oxide then you are placing a patient in a state of sedation and partial block of pain.

I know that when I have been under nitrous oxide for dental procedures I am definitely in a state of sedation and blocked pain.

Chris

 

[steve66]

Chris:

Sounds like you've got a pretty good insight into this one.

I've never had nitrous. The only thing I've ever gotten is an injection in the gum to kill the pain. Except one time when they put me completely out.

Steve