1. Introduction
For more than 30 years, sedation using benzodiazepines, combined or not with opioids, has been used as a standard regimen for gastrointestinal endoscopy; it is usually referred to as traditional sedation. Sedation management in gastrointestinal endoscopy varies between European countries according to the different legal frameworks and different healthcare systems. In the majority of European countries, endoscopists administer sedation with support from endoscopy nurses, while in some countries such as France only anesthesiologists administer intravenous sedation.