The Role of Magnesium Sulphate as an Adjuvant to Propofol sedation in ICU Patients, A Comparative Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the concomitant use of magnesium sulphate infusion together with propofol continuous infusion used for sedation of the ICU patients on the total propofol consumption and on the patients hemodynamics.Methods: Thirty mechanically ventilated ICU patients were randomly divided into two equal groups and allocated to receive either magnesium sulphate or placebo together with propofol continuous infusion. Hemodynamic monitoring included heart rate and invasive blood pressure measurements.Biochemical parameters included serum Na+ , K+ , Ca++ , Mg++ , total bilirubin and creatinine, and finally total propofol consumption in 24 hours.Results: The use of magnesium sulphate continuous infusion significantly reduced total propofol consumption in group 2 (p 0.05). This reduction was observed correlating with significant progressive rise of serum Mg++ (p 0.05). No significant differences were detected in patients hemodynamics or other biochemical parameters between both groups after the use of magnesium sulphate.Conclusion: The results indicate that the concomitant use of magnesium sulphate with propofol continuous sedation in ICU patients significantly reduced total propofol consumption with no significant derangements of the patients hemodynamics or chemistry.