Gastrointestinal endoscopy in cirrhotic patient: Issues on the table

Table 1 Characteristics of most used drugs for sedation in endoscopy (the corresponding antidote is also reported when available)

Drug	Onset of effect (min)	Effect duration (min)	Usual dose	Adverse events
Benzodiazepines
Midazolam	1-2	15-80	1-6 mg	Respiratory depression, disinhibition
Flumazenil (Benzodiazepines Antidote)	1-2	60	0.1-1 mg	Agitation, withdrawal symptoms
Opioids
Alfentanyl	< 1	30-60	0.250-2 mg	Respiratory and cardiovascular depression
Fentanyl	1-2	30-60	50-200 μg	Respiratory depression, vomiting
Pethidine	3-6	60-180	25-100 mg	Respiratory depression, vomiting
Naloxone (Opioids antidote)	1-2	30-45	0.2-1 mg	Narcotic withdrawal
Anestethic
Propofol	< 1	4-8	40-400 mg	Respiratory and cardiovascular depression