Korean J Anesthesiol.  1999 Dec;37(6):1007-1014. 10.4097/kjae.1999.37.6.1007.

A Comparative Study of the Effective Infusion Method of Propofol for Patients That Prefer to be Sedated under Brachial Plexus Block

• Jung SB
• Woo SY
• Lee BJ
• Hur CH
• Kim MC
• Cho KH

• KMID: 2031450
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.1999.37.6.1007

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Patients who are scheduled for upper extremity surgery under brachial plexus block (BPB) prefer to have no memory of the surgical procedure and some form of sedation is therefore necessary. Because of this we have tried to find an adequate infusion method for propofol that would supply better sedation and less complications.
METHODS
We divided 60 patients who were scheduled for upper extremity surgery under BPB into four groups according to loading dose and following continuous infusion rate of propofol (Group 1: 0.2 mg/kg, 8 microgram/kg/min, group 2: 0.4 mg/kg, 16 microgram/kg/min, group 3: 0.6 mg/kg, 33 microgram/kg/min, group 4: 0.8 mg/kg, 50 microgram/kg/min.). We evaluated the degree of sedation, amnesia, recovery, changes of blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory effect of each group.
RESULTS
According to the sedation score, groups 3 and 4 were sedated better than groups 1, 2 (P< 0.05). But the mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate and respiration were more depressed and recovery time prolonged in the higher dosage groups (P< 0.05). Three patients among group 4 developed severe respiratory depression, at which time infusion of propofol was stopped.
CONCLUSIONS
The ideal infusion method of propofol for effective sedation was 0.4 0.8 mg/kg of loading dosage, followed by 16 50 microgram/kg/min of continuous infusion dosage. But the more dosages of propofol that were administered, the more complications appeared, so we must use care in administering propofol as a sedation adjuvant to BPB.

Keyword

Anesthetics, intravenous, amnesia, propofol, recovery, sedation; Anesthetic techniques, brachial plexus, regional; Complications, cardiovascular, ventilation

MeSH Terms

Amnesia
Arterial Pressure
Blood Pressure
Brachial Plexus*
Heart Rate
Humans
Memory
Propofol*
Respiration
Respiratory Insufficiency
Upper Extremity
Propofol