Incidence of tolerance in children undergoing repeated administration of propofol for proton radiation therapy: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Propofol is an excellent hypnotic drug for use in repeated radiation procedures in young children. To date, tolerance to propofol generally does not develop in pediatric patients undergoing radiation therapy. However, several studies have suggested that there may be potential for development of tolerance to propofol. The aim of this study was to evaluate the development of a tolerance to propofol used for repeated deep sedation in children undergoing proton radiation therapy (PRT). METHODS: All children undergoing PRT at our institution between December 2015 and January 2018 were eligible for inclusion in this study. Sedation was induced by a bolus dose of propofol (2.0 mg.kg(− 1)) followed by a continuous infusion of 250 μg.kg(− 1).min(− 1) via an infusion pump to achieve deep sedation. Sedation was maintained with the propofol infusion of 200 μg.kg(− 1).min(− 1), which was adjusted in 25 μg.kg(− 1).min(− 1) increments up or down as necessary to ensure deep sedation. The primary outcome was mean doses of propofol over time. RESULTS: Fifty-eight children were analyzed. The mean (SD) age was 4.5 (2.1) years. The mean (SD) number of treatment sessions was 19 (7). Fifteen patients (26%) developed tolerance to propofol. However, there were no significant differences between the children who developed tolerance and the children who did not develop tolerance in mean propofol dose and awakening time over time (p = 0.887 and P = 0.652, respectively). Age, the number of PRT, and attending anesthesiologists was not significantly associated with the incidence of tolerance to propofol. CONCLUSION: Repeated prolonged deep sedation for PRT elicited multiple times over several weeks in young children using propofol did not develop tolerance in 74% of patients. Although the incidence of 26% tolerance to propofol may still be present, the increase in propofol dose was minimal. Therefore, the use of repeated propofol for children was safe.