Is pancreatitis a complication of propofol infusion?

The effects of bolus and infusion doses of propofol on histopathological changes in the rat pancreas are reported. After obtaining Hospital Ethics Committee approval, 75 female Wistar rats were assigned to three study groups. Groups I (n = 30) and II (n = 30) received 10 mg kg-1 intravenous bolus of propofol; with propofol administered to group II at an infusion rate of 10 mg kg-1 h-1 for 30 min immediately after the bolus doses. Group III (n = 15) was used as the control group. Twenty-four hours after propofol administration blood samples and pancreatic tissue specimens were obtained under ether anaesthesia. Plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, amylase, and lipase levels were studied, and pancreatic tissues were examined under light microscopy. Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly higher in group II compared with the other groups. Differences between the groups in respect of plasma amylase and lipase levels were not statistically significant. Acute pancreatitis was observed under light microscopy, in three rats (10%) in group II, and in one rat (6.6%) in the control group. The pancreatic tissues of group I were normal. The incidence of acute pancreatitis in each of the groups was not significant. It is therefore suggested that, further controlled studies are needed to investigate the relation between pancreatitis and the use of propofol.