• Ellise Delphin, Ming Xiong, Rex Ponnudurai, and Catherine Schoenberg.
• Department of Anesthesiology, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
• J Clin Anesth. 2011 Nov 1;23(7):549-51.

Study ObjectiveTo determine the blood propofol concentration of anesthesiologists who were exposed to the expired gases of patients receiving propofol-based intravenous (IV) sedation.DesignProspective controlled investigation and laboratory analysis.SettingOperating room of a university hospital and an independent technical laboratory.Subjects5 anesthesiologists who independently delivered propofol-based IV sedation to patients presenting for first trimester termination of pregnancy. In addition, a patient receiving propofol-based IV sedation was recruited as a positive control. A laboratory technician who never had previous exposure to propofol was recruited as a negative control.InterventionsBlood samples were obtained from each anesthesiologist before and after an 8-hour work period of anesthesia care of patients as described above. Blood samples were also obtained from the positive control, following propofol-based IV sedation, and the negative control.MeasurementsAn independent laboratory determined the blood propofol concentrations using a gas-liquid partition chromatograph and verified the results by repeated measurements in order to avoid a laboratory error. The gas-liquid partition chromatograph had an analytic capability that set the detection limit for propofol at 50 ng/mL.Main ResultsNone of the anesthesiologists had detectable blood propofol concentration in either the pre-exposure or post-exposure sample. The positive control and the negative control had detectable and non-detectable blood propofol concentration, respectively.ConclusionsThis experiment did not detect propofol in the blood of anesthesiologists who administered propofol-based IV sedation to patients.Published by Elsevier Inc.

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