Some Facts and Tips On Propofol


  • Propofol was discovered in the Biology Department at ICI Pharmaceuticals Division (now AstraZeneca) in the UK (1977)
  • Propofol (and Ketamine) is on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a health system.
  • Attention should be paid to minimize pain on injection when administering Propofol injectable emulsion to pediatric patients. Boluses of Propofol injectable emulsion may be administered via small veins if pretreated with lidocaine or via antecubital or larger veins.
  • Propofol frequently produces apnea.
  • Rare, but serious, side effect is propofol infusion syndrome. 
  • Propofol injectable emulsion is contraindicated in patients with allergies to eggs, egg products, soybeans or soy products.
  • Propofol with ketamine together have lower rates of side effects.
  • Michael Jackson died from a mixture of propofol and the benzodiazepine drugs lorazepam and diazepam
  • Propofol injectable emulsion should not be coadministered through the same I.V. catheter with blood or plasma because compatibility has not been established. In vitro tests have shown that aggregates of the globular component of the emulsion vehicle have occurred with blood/plasma/serum from humans and animals. The clinical significance of these findings is not known.
  • There have been reports in which failure to use aseptic technique when handling Propofol injectable emulsion was associated with microbial contamination of the product and with fever, infection, sepsis, other life-threatening illness, and death. 

  • Propofol injectable emulsion use requires caution when administered to patients with disorders of lipid metabolism such as primary hyperlipoproteinemia, diabetic hyperlipemia, and pancreatitis.
  • When Propofol injectable emulsion is administered to an epileptic patient, there is a risk of seizure during the recovery phase.
  • Since Propofol injectable emulsion is formulated in an oil-in-water emulsion, elevations in serum triglycerides may occur when Propofol injectable emulsion is administered for extended periods of time.
  • Propofol injectable emulsion is not recommended for obstetrics, including cesarean section deliveries. Propofol injectable emulsion crosses the placenta, and as with other general anesthetic agents, the administration of Propofol injectable emulsion may be associated with neonatal depression.
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