[Intravenous propofol as a supplement in epidural anesthesia]

Under study were thirty patients of ASA class I-II scheduled for lower abdominal and lower extremities surgery. Premedication included intramuscular injection of pethidine, atropine and prochlorperazine. Epidural anesthesia was accomplished with 12-15 ml 2% lidocaine with epinephrine (1:80,000). Thirty minutes later, when blood pressure returned to control value, patients were put to sleep by 2 mg/kg propofol and the sleep was maintained with continuous infusion of propofol at a rate of 6 mg/kg/h. Infusion rate was adjusted when necessary. Patients breathed room air spontaneously through the whole course of anesthesia. The results showed that all patients fell to sleep within 28.3 +/- 2.7 s after intravenous injection of propofol 2 mg/kg. Sleeping dose was satisfactorily achieved using a mean infusion rate of 6.1 +/- 1.7 mg/kg/h. The mean time from the end of the infusion of propofol to opening of the eyes on command and telling the correct date of birth were 7.9 +/- 2.8 min and 9.9 +/- 3.8 min respectively. Two minutes after injection, there were significant decrease in systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, cardiac output, and stroke volume with a mean of 17.9 +/- 3.8%, 18.8 +/- 3.3%, 7.6 +/- 0.5% and 11.1 +/- 1.9% respectively. Two patients (7%) developed apnea after 2 mg/kg propofol which was considered to be the most serious side effect. Propofol infusion had to be stopped in 13% patients due to a 30% fall of arterial blood pressure during maintenance. In the recovery stage, no other complications were noted except one patient who felt dizziness. Propofol, used as the supplementary sedative, provides satisfactory result for surgery under epidural anesthesia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)