1. (1)       A medical history, a physical examination consistent with the type and level of anesthesia and/or analgesia and the level of surgery to be performed, and the appropriate laboratory studies must be performed by a practitioner qualified to assess the impact of co-existing disease processes on surgery and anesthesia. A pre-anesthetic examination and evaluation must be conducted immediately prior to surgery by the physician or by a qualified person who will be administering or directing the anesthesia. If a qualified person will be administering the anesthesia, the physician shall review with the qualified person the pre-anesthetic examination and evaluation. The data obtained during the course of the pre-anesthesia evaluations (focused history and physical, including airway assessment and significant historical data not usually found in a primary care or surgical history that may alter care or affect outcome) must be documented in the medical record.
2. (2)       Because sedation is a continuum, it is not always possible to predict how an individual patient will respond. Hence, practitioners intending to produce a given level of sedation must be able to rescue patients whose level of sedation becomes deeper than initially intended. Individuals administering Moderate Sedation / Analgesia (“Conscious Sedation”) must be able to rescue patients who enter a state of Deep Sedation / Analgesia, while those administering Deep Sedation / Analgesia must be able to rescue patients who enter into a state of general anesthesia.

Author: Alabama Board of Medical Examiners

Statutory Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §34-24-53.

History: New Rule: Filed October 17, 2003; effective November 21, 2003. Repealed and New Rule: Published January 30, 2026; effective March 16, 2026.