Successful treatment of propofol-related infusion syndrome in critically ill patient receiving low-dose propofol infusion: a case report

Propofol is widely used to sedate agitated patients in intensive care units. However, it can cause a rare but fatal complication, propofol-related infusion syndrome (PRIS). The pathophysiology of PRIS is not clear, and there is no definitive diagnosis and treatment. We report a successfully treated case of PRIS in a critically ill patient receiving low-dose propofol infusion. A 59-year-old male patient complaining of sudden chest pain repeatedly collapsed in an ambulance and the emergency room, and veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was delivered. He was diagnosed with a total occluded left anterior descending coronary artery in coronary angiography. On day 20, he showed arrhythmia, increased creatinine kinase (CK), and increased CK-MB and troponin I, accompanied by unstable hemodynamic status despite high-dose vasopressors. He was administered propofol for 20 days at an average dose of 1.3 mg/kg/hr owing to issues with agitation and ventilator synchrony. We strongly suspected PRIS and immediately discontinued propofol infusion, and he was successfully treated with aggressive supportive care. PRIS can occur in patients administered propofol for a prolonged period at low doses. Thus, clinicians should use propofol with caution for PRIS and change to alternative sedatives for long-term sedation.