About Propofol- The Drug That (probably) Killed Michael Jackson

Posted on August 26, 2009 by admin

I’m following up further on the prescription drug epidemic that likely was most responsible for causing Michael Jackson’s death. For those who are interested, AOL Health has a great article on the story.

The world was taken by surprise when Michael Jackson passed away, but what was even more puzzling than his sudden death was the means by which he died. Rumors claim that Jackson went into cardiac arrest after taking a dangerous cocktail of drugs, including propofol, a commonly used anesthetic. This leads us to wonder, what exactly is propofol and is it a commonly abused narcotic?

“Propofol is an intravenous general anesthetic drug,” according to Joseph Tobin, M.D., chairman of anesthesiology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. “This is a drug that will induce unconsciousness and [keep a] patient unconscious during a surgical or diagnostic procedure.” Propofol is primarily used in hospitals, and in some office-based surgical programs.

While the drug isn’t considered especially dangerous when administered by a trained professional in a hospital setting, it can be risky when used incorrectly.

“Too much propofol will suppress a patient’s respiration,” says Hammam Akbik, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology and chief of the pain division at the University of Cincinnati. “This drug must be used in a facility where you are able to continuously monitor to patient’s heart rate, oxygen saturation and respiratory condition.” COMPLETE STORY