Consumption and distribution of propofol in anaesthesia and intensive care use in Finland

Propofol is approved both for anaesthesia and sedation during intensive care. Serious adverse reactions with propofol have recently been reported, but patient exposure to the drug is unknown.

To investigate the consumption of propofol in Finnish hospitals and to develop a denominator to estimate patient exposure.

The consumption of propofol was investigated using the drug consumption database for 1990-2001. Distribution between anaesthesia and intensive care use in Finnish hospitals was investigated by a survey covering the period 2000-2001. We based the estimate of patient exposure on doses commonly described in the literature on propofol use in different indications.

Total consumption of propofol increased more than 4-fold from 1990-2001. Most of the propofol consumed was the 10 mg/mL strength. In 2001, one-third of the total sales consisted of the 20 mg/mL strength. In 2000 and 2001, a little more than half of the total consumption of propofol was used for sedation in intensive care.

The use of propofol is increasing in Finland. Half of the propofol was used in anaesthesia units and half in intensive care units. We propose the following defined daily doses: 175mg for anaesthesia induction; 750 mg/patient-hour for anaesthesia maintenance; and 4200 mg/patient-day for sedation in intensive care.M.