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Published on: December 14, 2019
Elevated pancreatic enzymes after extended propofol therapy
C J Possidente1, F B Rogers, T M Osler
1Department of Pharmacotherapy, Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, Vermont 05401, USA.
Abstract:
Propofol is a sedative hypnotic agent often administered for intensive care sedation. A 28-year-old man who suffered a severe head injury developed elevated pancreatic enzymes after receiving extended high-dosage propofol therapy. Amylase and lipase values gradually reduced toward normal after the drug was discontinued. Possible propofol-induced pancreatitis was reported with short-term but not with prolonged therapy. A definitive cause-and-effect relationship is unclear since head trauma also was reported to cause elevated pancreatic enzymes. Intensive care practitioners should be aware of this potential reaction.
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