The effect of temperature upon pain during injection of propofol

Abstract

Propofol has been shown to cause pain on injection. This study investigated the effect of warming propofol to 37°C on the pain of intravenous injection. One hundred and one women on outpatient gynaecology lists were allocated to receive propofol either at room temperature or at 37°C. Warming propofol decreased the incidence of pain on injection by 37% (p < 0.001), and also decreased the severity of pain reported by patients (p < 0.001). We conclude that warming propofol to 37°C provides a simple and safe method of reducing the incidence of pain on injection without the addition of other agents.