Propofol and Nitrous Oxide May Avoid Sedation Hypotension

Propofol and Nitrous Oxide May Help Avoid Sedation Hypotension

Many medications have adverse side effects, and propofol, used in dental sedation, is no exception. A decrease in arterial blood pressure is common when using this sedative, and propelled a study in which the effect of nitrous oxide on the hypotensive response during propofol sedation was explored. The results of the study, “The Effect of Nitrous Oxide Inhalation on the Hypotensive Response to Propofol: a Randomized Controlled Trial,” were published in August in Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology.   

Using a prospective randomized study model, researchers examined the effects of two sedation protocols on 26 subjects. Half of the participants received intravenous sedation with propofol alone, while the remaining participants experienced a combined technique using 20% nitrous oxide and propofol. The drug was delivered via a target-controlled infusion system to attain and maintain a plasma propofol concentration of 1.5 ?g/mL. While the mean arterial pressure decreased in both study groups, the adverse reaction of hypotension occurred less often among the group that received 20% nitrous oxide and propofol.

Further exploration of this relationship is warranted, with researchers asserting that the addition of nitrous oxide to propofol sedation may prove beneficial for limiting adverse reactions to this sedation technique.

Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter

August 2014