monitored anesthesia care
Also written as: MAC — Monitored Anesthesia Care
A specific anesthesia service in which an anesthesiology provider monitors a patient and administers sedation or analgesia during a dental procedure without inducing general anesthesia.
Full Definition
Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) is a defined level of anesthesia service involving patient monitoring, sedation titration, and readiness to convert to general anesthesia if required. In dental anesthesiology, MAC distinguishes the role of the anesthesiologist from that of the operating dentist, a distinction important in clinical documentation, billing records, and medicolegal reports. Editors must note that 'MAC' is also the abbreviation for minimum alveolar concentration, creating a context-dependent ambiguity that must be resolved by surrounding text. 'Monitored anesthesia care' is always written as a noun phrase, not hyphenated attributively in most style guides.
Usage
Usage note: The abbreviation MAC is shared with 'minimum alveolar concentration'. Always expand on first use in a document to avoid ambiguity.
In Context
- "The billing code reflected monitored anesthesia care rather than general anesthesia, as the patient maintained spontaneous respiration throughout." — Anesthesia billing and coding record
- "Under MAC, the dental anesthesiologist must be prepared to rescue the patient from an unintended deeper level of sedation." — Credentialing standards document