Clinical and experimental evaluation of the cardiovascular effects of propofol

ABSTRACT

The cardiovascular effect of propofol were studied in 20 patients who underwent ear surgery. The administration of propofol was found to be accomplanied by a consistent, significant decrease in arterial blood pressure, variable nonsignificant changes in heart rate and no statistically significant changes in cardiac output. The study also showed that propofol in dioses used was devoid of any influence on the inotropic properly of the isolated rabbit heart. In aortae precontracted with noradrenaline, the relaxation produced by propofol was the same, whether the aortic rings were with or without endothelium. On the other hand, the propofol concentration producing the same relaxation was lower in aorate ore contracted with potassium chloride than with notadrenaline