A retrospective study of risk factors for cardiopulmonary events during propofol-mediated gastrointestinal endoscopy in patients aged over 70 years.

BACKGROUND Because of its rapid onset and recovery profile, propofol-mediated sedation is predominantly used during endoscopy. OBJECTIVE To examine procedure-specific occurrence and risk factors for cardiopulmonary events during propofol-mediated gastrointestinal endoscopy in patients aged over 70 years. METHODS Retrospective study with the anesthesia recorder system was performed to determine the occurrence and frequency of cardiopulmonary events. We enrolled 660 elderly outpatients who had undergone gastrointestinal endoscopies in our hospital between May 2006 and May 2007. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed using variables, including age, body mass, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, anddifferent anesthetic method either by monitored anesthesia care or intravenously administered propofol, to determine the risks of cardiopulmonary events. RESULTS Slight adverse effects occurred in 88 patients during gastro-intestinal endoscopy, and no severe cardiopulmonary events occurred. There was no significant correlation between the adverse effects and sex or anesthetic methods (p = 0.95 and p = 0.053, respectively). There was a significant correlation between the occurrence of cardiopulmonary events and both age and body mass (p = 0.022 and p = 0.009, respectively). CONCLUSION The procedure-specific risk factors for cardiopulmonary events during propofol-mediated gastrointestinal endoscopy in patients aged over 70 years include age and body mass. These factors should be taken into account during future comparative trials.