title: A prospective controlled study to determine the blood propofol concentration in anesthesiologists exposed to propofol vapor in the expired gases of patients receiving propofol-based intravenous sedation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the blood propofol concentration of anesthesiologists who were exposed to the expired gases of patients receiving propofol-based intravenous (IV) sedation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective controlled investigation and laboratory analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Operating room of a university hospital and an independent technical laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  5 anesthesiologists who independently delivered propofol-based IV sedation to patients presenting for first trimester termination of pregnancy. In addition, a patient receiving propofol-based IV sedation was recruited as a positive control. A laboratory technician who never had previous exposure to propofol was recruited as a negative control.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples were obtained from each anesthesiologist before and after an 8-hour work period of anesthesia care of patients as described above. Blood samples were also obtained from the positive control, following propofol-based IV sedation, and the negative control.
  
  
  METHODS
  An independent laboratory determined the blood propofol concentrations using a gas-liquid partition chromatograph and verified the results by repeated measurements in order to avoid a laboratory error. The gas-liquid partition chromatograph had an analytic capability that set the detection limit for propofol at 50 ng/mL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  None of the anesthesiologists had detectable blood propofol concentration in either the pre-exposure or post-exposure sample. The positive control and the negative control had detectable and non-detectable blood propofol concentration, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This experiment did not detect propofol in the blood of anesthesiologists who administered propofol-based IV sedation to patients.
authors: Department of Anesthesiology, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
authors: Ming
authors: M
authors: Xiong
authors: Rex
authors: R
authors: Ponnudurai
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Schoenberg
authors: Chunxiang
authors: C
authors: Zhang
authors: Ellise
authors: E
authors: Delphin
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000379:methods; D000776:Anesthesiology; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015742:Propofol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012119:Respiration
chemical_list: D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D015742:Propofol