title: Maintenance of anaesthesia with propofol--a comparative study of a stepdown infusion of propofol and a low dose infusion supplemented by incremental doses.
abstract: Forty-four patients, ASA Grade I or II, had anaesthesia induced with propofol at 100 mg min-1 followed by a maintenance rate of 6 mg kg-1 h-1 or a stepdown regimen of 10 mg kg-1 h-1 for 10 min, 8 mg kg-1 h-1 for the next 10 min and at 6 mg kg-1 h-1 thereafter. Anaesthesia was maintained with propofol infused using an Ohmeda 9000 pump supplemented by nitrous oxide and oxygen (2:1) in a Bain circuit with spontaneous ventilation. Incremental doses of 20 mg of propofol were given to both groups as clinically indicated to maintain anaesthesia. Both methods provided satisfactory maintenance of anaesthesia but significantly more incremental doses were required in the group receiving the steady rate infusion. However, a lower cumulative dose was required up to 30 min in this group but not by 40 min. A comparable fall in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate was seen in both groups. There was no difference in the recovery times between the groups and the total dose did not correlate with time to recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Reilly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000762:Anesthesia Recovery Period; D000764:Anesthesia, Closed-Circuit; D000771:Anesthesia, Intravenous / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007260:Infusion Pumps; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009609:Nitrous Oxide; D010100:Oxygen; D015742:Propofol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009609:Nitrous Oxide; D010100:Oxygen; D015742:Propofol