Patient-controlled sedation with propofol in regional anesthesia

Objective To investigate the anesthetic effects of patient-controlled sedation (PCS) using propofol and explore the means of sedative administration Methods Thirty patients for selective surgery with regional anesthesia (ASA I -Ⅱ ) were enrolled in this study. Propofol administration was controlled by the patients by patients the button themselves, and each push would release 8 mg propofol in a coarse of 20 s. The patients were allowed to press the button as much as they wished without lockout till satisfactory anesthetic effect was achieved. Sedation level, blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), times of pressing the button and the actual doses administered were recorded every 5 min. Results The sedative took effect at (2.9± l.4) min and no oversedation occurred. SpO2 and airway condition were normal in all patients, and BP and HR were stable. More frequent demands for and larger doses of the sedative were noted during the first 5 min (P0.01), which decreased significantly in the following 10 to 15 min, remaining at low levels afterwards. Patient satisfaction late was 95%. Conclusion PCS with propofol is a safe, reliable and acceptable method for local anesthesia.