Short-Term Propofol Infusion and Associated Effects on Serum Lactate in Pediatric Patients.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine if short-duration procedural sedation in children with propofol is related to an adverse metabolic stress response measured by serum lactate. Propofol infusion syndrome is associated with high-dose and long-duration infusion. It has not been studied with short-duration, outpatient propofol administration.

METHODS

This was a prospective, longitudinal study that included 50 patients between the ages of 2 and 18 years who were undergoing outpatient procedural sedation with propofol at a pediatric sedation unit. Patients received bolus or bolus and continuous infusion doses of propofol. Serum lactate values were obtained before and after the patients' sedated procedures.

RESULTS

The average length of procedure was 40.3 minutes, and the mean dose of propofol per patient was 8.2 mg/kg. The highest measured lactate value was 1.8 mmol/L. The average (SD) preprocedure and postprocedure lactate values were 1.0 (0.3) and 0.7 (0.2) mmol/L, respectively, resulting in an overall significant decrease in lactate of -0.3 (0.3) mmol/L (P < 0.001). There was a significant (P = 0.01) positive relationship between age and postprocedure lactate value, when controlling for the length of the procedure in a multivariable regression. No significant association was found between propofol dosage and length of the procedure with lactate values.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we did not find a significant increase in metabolic stress, measured by serum lactate. Using propofol for short-duration procedural sedation may not carry similar risks for propofol infusion syndrome to those for long-duration/high-dose infusion therapy.