Pediatrics ·
No suspected propofol infusion syndrome in 1,595-child PICU cohort
A retrospective, single-center study reviewed propofol use and indicators of propofol-related infusion syndrome (PRIS) in 1,595 children treated in a London PICU from 2019 to 2022. No cases were clinically suspected, including among 337 children whose infusions lasted at least 48 hours; the estimated upper 95% confidence limit for prevalence was 0.19%.
- No clinically suspected PRIS among 1,595 children.
- 337 patients received propofol for at least 48 hours.
- Upper 95% confidence limit for prevalence was about 0.19%.
- Single-center retrospective findings do not establish safety.
Researchers reviewed routinely collected records for patients younger than 16 years who received propofol in a mixed pediatric intensive care unit in London between November 2019 and November 2022. The retrospective cohort included 1,595 children, ranging in age from 1 day to 16 years. Infusions lasted at least 48 hours in 337 patients; the maximum reported dose was 5 mg/kg/hr, and the longest infusion lasted 45 days. The team examined clinical notes, physiology, blood gases and laboratory results for suspected PRIS and associated abnormalities.
No patient was clinically suspected of having PRIS. The investigators also found no association between abnormal values in variables previously linked to PRIS and propofol receipt or infusion duration of at least 48 hours. Propofol was administered for a median 76% of ventilation time, and 26% of patients also received noradrenaline. With zero suspected cases among 1,595 patients, the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval for PRIS prevalence was approximately 0.19%.
The findings describe experience at one center and do not establish that prolonged propofol infusion is safe across settings or patient groups. The retrospective design and reliance on clinically suspected cases limit conclusions about risk; the results do not, on their own, justify changing pediatric sedation practice.
In practice
For children receiving propofol sedation in a mixed PICU, this single-center retrospective cohort found no clinically suspected PRIS among 1,595 patients, including 337 with infusions lasting at least 48 hours. The result is reassuring but does not establish safety or exclude a rare event: the study was observational, covered one unit over three years, and assessed clinically suspected cases and recorded markers. It does not provide evidence sufficient to change sedation practice.
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Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: Propofol Infusion in a Mixed PICU: Prevalence of Propofol-Related Infusion Syndrome in a Retrospective Cohort, 2019–2022 ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.