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. 2014 Sep 23:3:551.
doi: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-551. eCollection 2014.

Propofol-related urine discoloration in a patient with fatal atypical intracerebral hemorrhage treated with hypothermia

Martin Regensburger  1 , Hagen B Huttner  2 , Arnd Doerfler  3 , Stefan Schwab  2 , Dimitre Staykov  2
Affiliations

Propofol-related urine discoloration in a patient with fatal atypical intracerebral hemorrhage treated with hypothermia

Martin Regensburger et al. Springerplus. .

Abstract

Introduction: Mild therapeutic hypothermia is an increasingly recognised treatment option to reduce perihemorrhagic edema in severe intracerebral hemorrhage.

Case description: We report the case of a 77-year old woman with atypical intracerebral hemorrhage that was treated with mild hypothermia in addition to osmotic therapy. The patient's urine subsequently showed a green discoloration. Urine discoloration was completely reversible upon discontinuation of propofol.

Discussion and evaluation: Propofol-related urine discoloration may have been provoked by hypothermia. Due to the benign nature of this side effect, propofol should be stopped and gastrointestinal function should be supported.

Conclusion: More studies are needed to show a causal role of hypothermia and related decreased enzymatic function.

Keywords: Enterohepatic circulation; Hypothermia; Intracerebral hemorrhage; Liver enzyme function; Urine discoloration.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Neuroradiological imaging results in the presented patient. A: CT-imaging on admission. B: CT-control-imaging 4 hours later. C: Susceptibility weighted MRI after 1 day. D: CT-imaging 4 days after admission and before termination of osmotic therapy and therapeutic hypothermia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Urine samples of the patient. A: Dark green discoloration 48 hours after the onset of propofol. B: Color changed back to normal few hours after the end of propofol administration.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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