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Propofol, a sedative-hypnotic agent, has a quick onset and short duration of action, making it an ideal agent for emergency department procedural sedation. Researchers performed a prospective observational study of a convenience sample of adults aged 18 to 65 who were undergoing sedation for a painful procedure in the ED. Patients were eligible if they were in the American Society of Anesthesiologists class I or II, not pregnant, and not intoxicated.
After preoxygenation and premedication with fentanyl (2 μg/kg), patients received an initial propofol loading infusion of 0.21 mg/kg/minute, followed by a maintainence infusion of 3–6 mg/kg/hour after the procedure was begun.
Fifty patients completed the study (median age, 42 years; 64% male). Pr…