Pediatric Procedural Sedation With Propofol Using a Higher Initial Bolus Dose

OBJECTIVESWe sought to describe the doses of propofol used for sedation in our pediatric emergency department, along with the range of procedures performed under propofol sedation. We also planned to describe clinically important physiologic changes seen and physician satisfaction with propofol at the doses observed. METHODSThis was a prospective observational case series. Physicians completed a data collection form after the propofol sedation. The physicians were asked to report physiologic changes that occurred during sedation and rate their satisfaction with propofol as a sedation agent on a 100-mm visual analog scale. RESULTSEight hundred eighty-six sedation events were reported. The median initial dose of propofol given was 2.0 mg/kg and the median total dose was 3.6 mg/kg. Propofol was used for a wide range of procedures. The most common physiologic change was desaturation/hypoxia (desaturation to