Ketofol Causes Less Hypotension than Propofol Alone

Adding ketamine to propofol substantially reduced the incidence of significant hypotension in a healthy general anesthesia population.

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic agent with analgesic properties and inherent hemodynamic stability because it increases circulating catecholamine levels. It has been used in combination with propofol for procedural sedation, but few studies have directly compared the combination to propofol alone. These investigators compared the hemodynamic effects of ketofol (ketamine plus propofol) versus propofol alone in a randomized study of 85 healthy patients aged 18 to 60 undergoing scheduled surgery.

General anesthesia was induced with ketofol (0.75 mg/kg ketamine plus 1.5 mg/kg propofol) or propofol (2 mg/kg), and blood pressure was assessed after 5, 10, and 30 minutes. Anesthesia was maintained with inhalational agents. Surgery was started …

Reviewing Author

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education