Total intravenous anesthesia in South-African genetic porphyria (variegate porphyria)

Abstract

The authors report the case of a female patient with South-African genetic porphyria who had to undergo hepatic tumorectomy under general anesthesia. The choice for propofol as the induction and maintenance agent using a balanced anesthetic technique led to a significant rise in urinary excretion of porphyrins without associated clinical manifestations. A short review of the literature on physiopathology of porphyrias and medicinal agents, susceptible to induce acute porphyric crisis follows. The authors conclude that the innocuity of propofol as induction and maintaining agent in the porphyric patient cannot be yet established without further studies.