Faculty mentor/PI email address
jim010@aol.com
Is your research Teaching and Learning based?
1
Keywords
Propofol, Red hair phenotype, MC1R, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, Procedural sedation, Emergency Medicine
Date of Presentation
5-6-2026 12:00 AM
Poster Abstract
Background: A persistent belief within Emergency Medicine and perioperative culture suggests that individuals with red hair require altered anesthetic dosing. While early studies demonstrated increased requirements for certain volatile anesthetics in red-haired individuals, this association is frequently generalized to propofol without clear supporting evidence.
Objective: To review current literature regarding the relationship between red hair phenotype (and MC1R variants) and propofol pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD).
Methods: A focused narrative review of controlled human studies and relevant clinical outcome data evaluating propofol PK and PD in red-haired individuals.
Results: Evidence supporting altered anesthetic requirement in red-haired individuals primarily derives from studies of volatile anesthetics demonstrating increased minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) requirements. However, controlled propofol studies using pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic modeling and arterial sampling have not demonstrated clinically meaningful differences in clearance, arterial concentration, or effect-site response attributable to red hair phenotype. Broader perioperative datasets similarly do not support altered propofol dosing, recovery characteristics, or adverse event profiles based on hair color alone.
Conclusion: Current evidence does not support the claim that red hair phenotype is associated with decreased propofol metabolism or altered propofol pharmacodynamics. Propofol dosing in Emergency Medicine should continue to be guided by individual physiologic response and titration to effect rather than phenotype-based
Disciplines
Anesthesiology | Medicine and Health Sciences | Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Brief Review: Does Red Hair Phenotype Affect Propofol Pharmacokinetics or Pharmacodynamics?
Background: A persistent belief within Emergency Medicine and perioperative culture suggests that individuals with red hair require altered anesthetic dosing. While early studies demonstrated increased requirements for certain volatile anesthetics in red-haired individuals, this association is frequently generalized to propofol without clear supporting evidence.
Objective: To review current literature regarding the relationship between red hair phenotype (and MC1R variants) and propofol pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD).
Methods: A focused narrative review of controlled human studies and relevant clinical outcome data evaluating propofol PK and PD in red-haired individuals.
Results: Evidence supporting altered anesthetic requirement in red-haired individuals primarily derives from studies of volatile anesthetics demonstrating increased minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) requirements. However, controlled propofol studies using pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic modeling and arterial sampling have not demonstrated clinically meaningful differences in clearance, arterial concentration, or effect-site response attributable to red hair phenotype. Broader perioperative datasets similarly do not support altered propofol dosing, recovery characteristics, or adverse event profiles based on hair color alone.
Conclusion: Current evidence does not support the claim that red hair phenotype is associated with decreased propofol metabolism or altered propofol pharmacodynamics. Propofol dosing in Emergency Medicine should continue to be guided by individual physiologic response and titration to effect rather than phenotype-based