The use of suitable sedation or analgosedation is at present a common part of a number of endoscopic procedures. Analgosedation makes it possible to reduce the discomfort of the patients caused by the procedure and thus hastens substantially and facilitates the procedure. Different departments use so far different combinations of pharmaceutical preparations. Most suitable is the combination of short acting benzodiazepine and opiate which provides sufficiently deep analgosedation for implementation of more painful endoscopic procedures. Perspective seems the use of propofol as a further constituent of analgosedation. This combination of pharmacological preparations is associated only with minimal undesirable effects, it calls however for careful monitoring of the patient during the procedure and afterwards. The presence of an anaesthesiologist is essential, in particular when new opiates are used.

        Key words: out-patient procedures – benzodiazepines – opiates – monitoring