• Joep G F Scholten and Evert J Buijs.
• Gelre ziekenhuizen, afd. Anesthesie, Pijnbestrijding en Intensive Care, Apeldoorn.
• Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2014 Jan 1; 158: A7115.

BackgroundPropofol is a widely used and safe hypnotic agent. Complications include pain on injection, dose-dependent hypotension, allergic reactions and hypertriglyceridemia; after long-term administration, propofol infusion syndrome can occur. A less common but serious complication is acute pancreatitis.Case DescriptionIn this report, a 72-year-old male is described who underwent total hip replacement and subsequent revision one year later. On both occasions propofol was administered. Both procedures were complicated by acute pancreatitis. Various known causes for pancreatitis were systematically excluded except for propofol which seemed to have caused both incidents of pancreatitis. However, a multifactorial cause could not be completely ruled out.ConclusionPancreatitis after propofol administration is a rare complication. This rare complication, however, is likely to become more frequent with increasing demand for propofol use and its administration by different care professionals. In patients who experience abdominal symptoms after propofol administration, pancreatitis should be considered as a possible cause and appropriate diagnostic testing performed.

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