Non-anesthesiologist-administered Propofol During the Flexible Bronchoscopy

The investigators prospectively included ambulatory patients aged > 18 years with an indication for flexible bronchoscopy. Bronchoscopic procedures were performed by residents of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine subspecialty under the supervision of an attendant professor in a university-tertiary-referral center in northern Mexico. Patients with tracheostomy, known allergy to drugs used during procedural sedation, inability to answer the satisfaction questionnaires, psychiatric illness, pregnancy, or with ASA class IV or V, were excluded.

Patients were randomly assigned to receive sedation with midazolam or propofol. In the group of midazolam the initial dose was 0.05 mg/kg and in propofol group, the starting dose was 0.1 mg /kg. Additional doses of the corresponding drug (2 mg of midazolam or 10 mg of propofol) were allowed to reach a score level of 3 to 4 in the Observer´s assessment of alertness/ sedation scale. All patients received nalbuphine in a starting dose of 2 mg with additional doses of 1 mg if it was necessary. Prior to insertion of the bronchoscope, lidocaine spray was applied to the nasal mucosa and pharynx for bronchoscope nasal insertion, and only in the pharynx for bronchoscope oral insertion. Topical lidocaine was applied using the spray-as-you-go technique, at a maximum dose of 7 mg/kg.

In both groups, transcutaneous CO2 measurement was carried out with the system SenTec digital monitoring (Artemis Medical, Kent, London) by applying a Stow-Severinghaus (V-Sign sensor) type sensor in the ear lobe. All patients received supplementary oxygen and were monitored with intermittent non-invasive blood pressure measurements every 3 min and with continuous EKG and SO2 surveillance.

The assessment of the state of residual sedation was performed with the Aldrete scale at five, 10 and 15 minutes after complete FB. At the time of discharge from the bronchoscopy suite, a satisfaction questionnaire was applied to patients.

Sedation and analgesia were prescribed by the resident responsible for conducting FB without the support of specialists in anesthesiology. One collaborator blinded to the study group to which each patient belonged recorded all data derived from the procedure. The Bronchoscopist was blinded to PtcCO2 values.