Study of general anesthesia with target-controlled infusion of propofol in children

Objective To compare the effects of target-controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol and usual way on the safety and efficacy of general anesthesia in children.Methods Forty children with obstructive sleep apnea hyperpnoea syndrome, aged from 4.5 to 11 yr undergoing surgical treatment were randomly divided into two groups. In group A, anesthesia was induced with propofol 1.5 ～2?mg/kg, fentanyl 2?μg/kg and Atracurium 0.5 ?mg/kg and maintained with 1% propofol and 1%～2% isoflurane inhalation. In group B, anesthesia was induced and maintained with TCI of 1% propofol. The target plasma concentration of propofol was set at 3μg/ml. Mean blood pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), ECG and SpO 2 were monitored during anesthesia. The following indices were recorded and compared between the two groups: changes in MAP and HR during induction and tracheal intubation; time of spontaneous breathing recovery after termination of anesthesia; Observer's Assessment of Alertness and Sedation scores (OAA/S) after operation; and postoperative complications such as nausea and vomiting.Results There was no significant difference of MAP and HR between two groups during induction. The incidence of intubation response in group A, however, was higher than that in group B. The duration from termination of anesthetics to full recovery of spontaneous breathing in group B was significant shorter than that in group A. The OAA/S scores at extubation and discharge from surgery room in group B were significantly higher than that in group A. The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting was similar between two groups.Conclusions It is a safe and effective way to use TCI of propofol in children.