Serum lipid and glucose concentrations with a propofol infusion for cardiac surgery

Objective: To document changes in serum lipids and glucose with a propofol infusion technique for cardiac surgery. Design: Prospective cohort. Setting: University teaching hospital. Participants: 22 elective cardiac surgical patients. Interventions: Frequent venous blood sampling. Measurements and Main Results: Serum lipids and glucose were measured at 10 time periods perioperatively, from preinduction until 4 hours post-cardiopulmonary bypass. Plasma propofol concentrations were also measured in 10 of these patients. There was a significant increase in glucose (P < 0.0005) and decreases in cholesterol (P < 0.0005), high-density lipoprotein (P = 0.004), and low-density lipoprotein (P < 0.0005); there was no significant change in triglycerides (P = 0.39). The propofol infusion resulted in acceptable plasma levels throughout the procedure and allowed early extubation in the intensive care unit, after a mean (SD) of 7.14 (5.9) hours. There was a strong correlation between triglyceride and propofol levels at most time periods (r = 0.38 to 0.98). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a propofol infusion technique does not result in elevation of serum lipids and supports its increased popularity in maintenance of anesthesia for cardiac surgery.