Propofol and Upper Airway Size

Researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto studied 9 infants, 5 to 12 months of age, who were undergoing “elective” magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to determine the extent of various neurologic disease processes. With the head and neck positioned in a standardized fashion, images of the airway were obtained at 3 levels: at the soft palate, base of the tongue, and tip of the epiglottis. Images were obtained sequentially at 4 time periods: 1) during light (80 μg/kg/min) propofol anesthesia; 2) following a 2 mg/kg propofol bolus and an increased propofol infusion rate of 240 μg/kg/min; 3) continuation of the higher infusion rate but with application of …