Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Guidelines for Elective Pediatric Fiberoptic Intubation
11:19

Guidelines for Elective Pediatric Fiberoptic Intubation

Published on: January 17, 2011

Questions unanswered: propofol use in the pediatric intensive care unit

Mary Frances D Pate1, Robert Steelman

  • 1School of Nursing (SN-5S), Oregon Health & Science University, 3455, SW US Veterans Hospital Rd, Portland, OR 97239, USA. patem@ohsu.edu

AACN Advanced Critical Care
|November 21, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Administering propofol to critically ill children requires careful planning and adherence to guidelines. Haphazard use of this anesthetic agent poses significant risks to pediatric patients, emphasizing the need for evidence-based protocols.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric critical care medicine
  • Anesthesiology
  • Evidence-based practice

Background:

  • Pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) manage critically ill children requiring sedation.
  • Propofol is a commonly used anesthetic agent in pediatric populations.
  • Ensuring safe and effective propofol administration is paramount for vulnerable children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To emphasize the critical need for intentional and well-planned propofol administration in pediatric patients.
  • To highlight the risks associated with haphazard propofol use in children.
  • To advocate for adherence to national guidelines and regulatory recommendations for propofol in pediatrics.

Main Methods:

  • This is a conceptual review and expert opinion piece.
  • It synthesizes current understanding of propofol use in pediatric critical care.
  • It references national guidelines and regulatory standards.

Main Results:

  • Evidence supports the need for structured propofol administration protocols in pediatric critical care.
  • Unplanned or inconsistent propofol administration increases patient risk.
  • Adherence to established guidelines is crucial for patient safety.

Conclusions:

  • Intentional, well-planned propofol administration is essential for the safety of critically ill children.
  • Deviation from national guidelines and regulatory standards during propofol administration increases risk.
  • Future research should continue to refine evidence-based practices for pediatric sedation with propofol.

More Related Videos

Development of a Neonatal Piglet Acute Lung Injury Model Recreating the Early Environment of Preterm Infant Lungs08:58

Development of a Neonatal Piglet Acute Lung Injury Model Recreating the Early Environment of Preterm Infant Lungs

Published on: October 31, 2025

Related Concept Videos

Parenteral Anesthetics: Overview01:24

Parenteral Anesthetics: Overview

Intravenous anesthetics are drugs administered parenterally to induce anesthesia or sedation. Propofol is a widely used agent formulated as a 1% emulsion in soybean oil, glycerol, and egg phosphatide. It induces rapid anesthesia primarily due to its rapid distribution from the bloodstream to target tissues and is metabolized in the liver. However, it can cause significant pain on injection and hypertriglyceridemia. Fospropofol, a water-based prodrug of propofol, lacks these adverse effects.
Inhalational Anesthetics: Overview01:20

Inhalational Anesthetics: Overview

Inhalation anesthetics are drugs that induce general anesthesia upon inhalation. They work by increasing the sensitivity of GABAA receptors or inhibiting NMDA receptors, leading to a decrease in central nervous system activity. The depth of anesthesia can be rapidly adjusted by changing the concentration of the inhaled gas. Some common examples of inhalational anesthetics include volatile liquids like isoflurane, desflurane, sevoflurane and gases like xenon and nitrous oxide. Isoflurane, a...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution01:17

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution

Drug distribution in the pediatric population exhibits unique challenges and considerations due to the physiological differences between children, particularly neonates and infants, and adults. A crucial aspect of pediatric pharmacology is understanding how these differences impact the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, necessitating age-specific dosing strategies to ensure efficacy and safety.Neonates and infants have a higher total body water content, ~75%–90% of their body weight, compared...
Drug Dosing: Infants and Children01:29

Drug Dosing: Infants and Children

Pediatric patient dosages diverge from adults due to disparities in body surface area, total body water, and extracellular fluid per kilogram of body weight. The dosing regimen considers the variations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacology across distinct age groups, encompassing preterm newborns, infants, young children, older children, and adolescents. Calculation of pediatric patient doses is predicated on determining body surface area, which exhibits a superior correlation with the child's...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion01:26

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion

In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...
General Anesthesia: Overview01:24

General Anesthesia: Overview

Anesthesia is a medical procedure that uses drugs for CNS suppression to enable painless surgeries and procedures. The selection of anesthetics is influenced by their pharmacokinetic properties, side effects, and patient characteristics. Various types of anesthesia include general, local, regional, spinal, and inhalational.
General anesthesia induces unconsciousness in the whole body, while the others target specific areas or sensations. It is administered to minimize adverse effects, maintain...