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Propofol and pain on induction: the effect of injectate temperature in children

A Pickford1, J Burden, I Lewis

  • 1Shackleton Department of Anaesthetics, Level E, Centre Block, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.

Paediatric Anaesthesia
|March 29, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Cooled intravenous propofol did not significantly reduce pain during anesthesia induction in children. While the cooled group showed a lower incidence of pain, the difference was not statistically significant.

Area of Science:

  • Anesthesiology
  • Pediatric Anesthesia

Background:

  • Pain on induction of anesthesia is a common issue in pediatric patients.
  • Propofol is frequently used for anesthesia induction.
  • Lidocaine is often co-administered to mitigate propofol injection pain.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if cooling intravenous propofol reduces pain during anesthesia induction in children.
  • To compare the incidence and severity of pain between room temperature and cooled propofol injections.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective, randomized, double-blind study design.
  • Seventy pediatric patients (3-10 years, ASA I/II) received either room temperature (20-23°C) or cooled (4°C) 1% propofol with 0.05% lidocaine.
  • Pain assessed by a blinded observer using a behavioral scale.

Main Results:

  • Data analyzed from 69 patients.
  • Incidence of pain: 26% (room temperature group) vs. 14% (cooled group).
  • The difference in pain incidence was not statistically significant (P=0.21). Pain scores were similar between groups.

Conclusions:

  • Cooling intravenous propofol to 4°C did not significantly decrease the incidence or severity of pain during anesthesia induction in children.
  • Further research may be needed to explore alternative methods for reducing injection pain in pediatric anesthesia.

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