Percutaneous hepatic biopsy under propofol sedation. A safe and effective procedure.

Introduction: the percutaneous hepatic biopsy is a necessary procedure for the diagnosis of liver diseases which can cause complications and psychological discomfort for the patient.

Aims: to determine the safety profile of propofol in percutaneous hepatic biopsy, the complications of the technique per se and patients satisfaction once completed.

Methods: a retrospective observational study was performed via the acquisition of data of tolerance and perceived quality by the patients using a transversal survey.

Results: ninety-seven patients were included with an average propofol dose of 170.46 mg. Of the complications resulting from the sedation, there were six slight desaturations (6.2 %) resolved with a forehead maneuver (50 %) or cessation of the propofol infusion pump (50 %) and eleven hypotension episodes (11.3 %) resolved without intervention (82.82 %) or with fluid replacement (18.18 %). Of the complications resulting from the technique, there were three cases of early-onset pain (3.1 %) and one delayed (1.03 %); all were resolved with 1 g of intravenous paracetamol. All patients were discharged with oral tolerance and without the need for analgesia 24 hours after the procedure. General satisfaction, as well as psychological discomfort, were evaluated as "very good/excellent" in 100 % of the patients.

Discussion: propofol demonstrated a favorable safety profile in hepatic biopsy, aiding in the ultimate success of the procedure and tolerance for the patient. We propose the expansion of the use of sedation with propofol to this procedure.