Recovery after propofol infusion anaesthesia in children: comparision with propofol, thiopentone or halothane induction followed by halothane maintenance

We have compared the recovery profiles of 163 healthy Chinesechildren after general anaesthesia for minor surgical procedures.Patients were allocated randomly to receive one of four anaesthetictechniques: propofol infusion for induction and maintenanceusing a pharmacokinetic model-controlled syringe pump set initiallyat a target concentration of 8 µg ml^–1 and thenadjusted according to clinical requirements; propofol 2.5–3.5mg kg^–1, thiopentone 4–5 mg kg^–1 or 2–3%halothane for induction of anaesthesia followed by 1–2% halothane for maintenance of anaesthesia. All oatients breatheda mixture of 70% nitrous oxide in oxygen through a laryngealmask airway and received an appropriate regional anaestheticblock. Recovery was assessed using the time to achieve fullSteward score, open eyes on command, orientation and the timerequired to complete a simple ouzzle. Recovery was slowest withthe propofol infusion (mean 39.8 (SO 12.9) min when eyes openedon command). The recovery times were significantly shorter withthe three other techniques (propofol bolus 21.9 (9.9) min, thiopentone23.4 (11.3) min, halothane 20.1 (8.9) min), and the choice amongthese three methods had no significant influence on the recoveryprofile. (Br. J. Anaesth. 1994; 72: 554–558) ^*Present address: Department of Anaesthesia,Addenbrooke's Hospital,HillsRoad,Cambridge.