title: Propofol Use in the Elderly Population: Prevalence of Overdose and Association With 30-Day Mortality.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Geriatric patients are more sensitive to the anesthetic effects of propofol and its adverse effects, such as hypotension, than is the general population; thus, a reduced dose (1-1.5 mg/kg) is recommended for the induction of anesthesia. The extent to which clinicians follow established dosing guidelines has not been well described. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of propofol overdose in the elderly population to determine whether propofol overdose occurs and is associated with increased hypotension and 30-day mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective study in patients who received propofol for the induction of general anesthesia, data on demographic characteristics, preoperative medications, intraoperative management, and 30-day mortality were collected. The dose of propofol used for the induction of anesthesia and the median blood pressure in the pre- and immediate postinduction periods were determined. Hypotension was defined as either: (1) a decrease in mean arterial pressure (MAP) of >40% concurrent with a MAP of <70 mm Hg; or (2) a MAP of <60 mm Hg.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 17,540 patients were included in the analysis; 4033 (23.0%) were aged >65 years. The median (interquartile range) propofol dose in the group aged >65 years was 1.8 (1.4-2.2) mg/kg, above the recommended dose, in comparison to 2.2 (1.9-2.5) mg/kg in younger patients. On multivariate analysis, increased propofol dose was associated with increased postinduction hypotension, especially in patients over 70 years of age, but not 30-day mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older patients received greater-than-recommended doses of propofol for induction, which may have led to significant dose-dependent hypotension. Despite this finding, the dose of propofol for induction was not independently associated with a greater 30-day mortality rate. More education regarding geriatric concerns is needed for encouraging anesthesiologists to tailor the plan for anesthesia in geriatric patients. However, overall postsurgical mortality is a function of preoperative risk and type surgical procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
authors.forename: Adam T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Neurosurgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York. Electronic address: stacie.deiner@mountsinai.org.
authors.forename: Stacie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deiner
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Evidence and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Hung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mo Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Evidence and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Evie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andreopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Health Evidence and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Silverstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Levin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D015742:Propofol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D015742:Propofol
keywords: 30-day mortality; elderly; hypotension; propofol overdose