Wiktionary
n. An intravenous sedative.
Wikipedia
Propofol, marketed as Diprivan among others, is a short-acting medication that results in a decreased level of consciousness and lack of memory for events. Its uses include the starting and maintenance of general anesthesia, sedation for mechanically ventilated adults, and procedural sedation. It is also used for status epilepticus if other medications have not worked. It is given intravenously. Maximum effect takes about two minutes to occur and it typically lasts five to ten minutes.
Common side effects include an irregular heart rate, low blood pressure, burning sensation at the site of injection, and the stopping of breathing. Other serious side effects may include seizures, infections with improper use, addiction, and propofol infusion syndrome with long term use. It appears to be safe for using during pregnancy but has not been well studied in this group. However, it is not recommended during cesarean section. Propofol is not a pain medication, so opioids such as morphine may also be used. Whether or not they are always needed is unclear. Propofol is believed to work at least partly via the receptor for GABA.
Propofol was discovered in 1977. It is on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a health system. It is available as a generic medication. The wholesale price in the developing world is between 0.61 and 8.50 USD per vial. It has been referred to as milk of amnesia because of the milk-like appearance of the intravenous preparation. Propofol is also used in veterinary medicine.
Usage examples of "propofol".
When it does, I shall begin injections of propofol, an intravenous anesthetic, a longer-acting drug than the earlier one and more suitable for what is ahead.
Then Baudelio inserted a hypodermic needle into a vein and injected The Evening News 159 the propofol he had prepared earlier.
Under prompting from Miguel, the ex-doctor confirmed that his day and a half of experimenting with the drug propofol had shown him how much should be administered to each of the three captives to achieve deep unconsciousness for specific periods.
Carl thought about increasing the propofol or giving her more mivacurium, but was reluctant to take the time.
His role at that point was to watch his monitors while maintaining anesthesia by carefully titrating the patient's state of consciousness with a continuous propofol infusion.