Propofol in office-based plastic surgery

Propofol is the nearly ideal agent for office-based plastic surgery. Among all anesthetic agents, only propofol has the ability to elicit happiness in this special group of patients. Cosmetic surgery patients will tolerate discomfort in preference to postoperative nausea and vomiting. Propofol is a powerful antiemetic agent. Patient safety will not be optimized unless the person responsible for the administration of propofol has airway management skills. Dedicated anesthesia providers are highly skilled in airway management. Although the short half-life of propofol is seductive for a fast-acting, rapid emerging anesthetic, interindividual differences in propofol response make measurement of the target organ (i.e., the brain) with a bispectral index (BIS) monitor very important. BIS levels < 45 for > 1 hour are associated with increased 1-year anesthesia mortality thought to be associated with an inflammatory response. The only currently available way to avoid overmedicating with propofol is to monitor with a level of consciousness monitor like BIS.