Effect of propofol on sevoflurane agitation in children

Background: Sevoflurane may be associated with a high incidence of agitation during recovery from anesthesia in children. We tested the hypothesis that bolus administration of propofol after sevoflurane anesthesia would reduce the incidence of recovery agitation compared with sevoflurane anesthesia alone. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blinded study in 90 children, 1-7 yr of age, undergoing short general anesthesia. They were divided into three groups; 2 mg · kg^-1 propofol (group P 2), 1 mg · kg^-1 propofol (group P 1) and intralipid 0.2 ml · kg^-1 as control (group C). After sevoflurane induction and maintenance and 5 minutes before the end of operation, propofol or intralipid was administered. We compared the speed and quality of each recovery. We made a new scoring system for the assessment of agitation. Each child received a point from -4 to 10 with this system. Results: Recovery score was similar among the three groups (group P 2 had point 4, group P 1, point 5, and group C point 4). Recovery time in group P 2 was significantly longer than that in group C (about 6 minutes). Conclusions: Bolus administration of propofol after sevoflurane anesthesia prolonged recovery time, but did not inhibit sevoflurane agitation compared with sevoflurane anesthesia alone.