Recovery of psychomotor function of the aged patient after propofol sedation

Mio Shinozaki , Yosuke Usui , Shigeki Yamaguchi and Toshimitsu Kitajima ,

First Department of Anesthesiology , Dokkyo University School of Medicine ,

Mibu , Tochigi 321-0293 , Japan

Study objective: Propofol is a good agent for use by infusion to provide sedation as an adjunct to regional anaesthesia for its rapid recovery．This study was designed to access the effects of age on recovery of psychomotor function after propofol sedation for spinal anaesthesia.

Methods: 13 , aged at 65 and over(high aged group) , and 12 , aged at　20-50(control group) , ASA physical status I and II patients scheduled for lower orthopedic surgery under spinal anaesthesia were randomly assigned to receive continuous infusion of propofol to provide sedation. Propofol infusion was commenced at 6mgkg-1h -1 for 10min and the infusion rates were adjusted to maintain an appropriate level of sedation using the bispectral index(ranging60-70). The sedative infusion was discontinued the end of the procedure. Immediately recovery times taken from the end of the infusion for patients to open their eyes , grip their hands and recall their name. Psychomotor function as measured by Treiger,s dot test was evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively every 30 min.

Results: Immediate recovery times was no difference between two groups. psychomotor recovery was later in the high aged groups compared with control groups , and psychomotor function in high aged groups recovered at 120 min after the end of the infusion.

Conclusions:Immediate recovery following propofol sedation was similar between the two groups , but psychomotor recovery took longer in high aged groups.