Propofol infusion syndrome; are high doses always required?

Abstract

Propofol infusion syndrome is a rare condition that mainly affects critically ill patients who receive high doses of this hypnotic for a long time. We describe the case of a patient who presented hepatotoxicity in the immediate postoperative period of two surgeries in which she had received conventional doses of propofol for a short period of time. After studying the patient and monitoring her evolution, we arrived at a differential diagnosis of propofol infusion syndrome due to increased susceptibility. This syndrome should be considered in patients presenting hepatotoxicity in the immediate postoperative period, even when low doses of propofol have been administered.