Propofol: the spotlight in Michael Jackson’s murder trial

Propofol, the sedative, will be the main focus of attention in the upcoming trial for Michael Jackson’s death. Michael’s first use of propofol was reported by the Associated Press one day after his death. They had gone to interview Sheryl Lee, Michael’s nurse. Lee had been treating Michael with vitamin medications. The nurse said Michael had asked her for propofol, but Lee said it was dangerous and she would not give it to Michael. Michael told Lee that his own doctor had assured him there was no danger in using propofol, and that as soon as the drug entered his vein, he would fall asleep. Sheryl Lee, who had been caring for Michael from January to April 2009, is one of the prosecution’s witnesses. She says she never saw Michael use any other medication. "He wasn’t looking to get high. He wasn’t a man who was addicted to drugs. He was a man who asked for help just so he could sleep a little—so he could rest a little." The forensic report described Michael at the moment of death as a healthy, strong 50-year-old man, with only one problem: insomnia. Conrad Murray, the doctor who gave Michael propofol and will soon be tried for his involuntary manslaughter, said that before giving propofol to treat Michael’s insomnia, he had used sleeping medications such as Valium and lorazepam, but since there was no result, he injected propofol. It has been said that Murray wasn’t the first person to prescribe this drug to Michael, but apparently other doctors won’t be brought to court. With its milky white color—after the King of Pop’s death it became known as "Michael Jackson’s drug"—propofol is used in hospitals for short-term surgeries. Patients who receive this medication to undergo surgery must be continuously monitored by medical staff and their vital signs must be checked. It’s said that after people regain consciousness, it doesn’t leave confusion or numbness behind, which is why it’s considered a preferred drug. Michael Jackson’s death has made both the public mind and the medical community more sensitive to this drug. Some believe that propofol should be used even more cautiously than before. At the same time, many anesthesiologists consider propofol an excellent anesthetic that shouldn’t be overlooked by the medical community just because one person died. Michael used this drug to fall asleep. While propofol can never be a treatment for insomnia, it also doesn’t create deep sleep for the person. An anesthesiology specialist and university professor in New Jersey says that propofol in the hands of an inexperienced person is a very dangerous drug because the line between anesthesia and death is very thin. The doctor must have a heart-rate monitoring device and an oxygen mask available so that if the patient goes into respiratory arrest, he can save them. None of these equipment were in Michael’s room. But in the hands of a specialist doctor with experience, the same drug is very safe and excellent. Propofol is not a drug that kills someone in an operating room. The forensic report said that a large amount of this drug in Michael’s blood was the cause of his respiratory and cardiac arrest and ultimately his death. The attorneys for the accused, who is a heart specialist, say that Michael himself drank this drug and caused his own death. The forensic report found 13 milligrams of the drug in Michael’s stomach, but experts believe that propofol is quickly broken down by the liver and then excreted, and it’s impossible for it to enter the bloodstream and lead to death. In other words, propofol would never be absorbed by the body through drinking. Source: eMJey.com / cbsnews.com / AP