Uncontrolled high blood pressure under total intravenous anesthesia with propofol and remifentanil: A case report

BACKGROUND: Although propofol generally reduces blood pressure, rarely, it causes hypertension. However, the mechanism by which propofol increases blood pressure has not been established, and so far, there are only a few reported cases. CASE SUMMARY: A 46-year-old woman, diagnosed with thyroid cancer, was administered general anesthesia with propofol and remifentanil for a thyroid lobectomy. An increase in the concentrations of intravenous anesthetics further increased her blood pressure. The blood pressure remained stable when anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane and remifentanil after the interruption of propofol administration. CONCLUSION: We concluded that propofol administration was the cause of increased blood pressure.