I'm suprised that there hasn't been a formulation created with a precise or tolerable amount of local anesthetic built into the formulation. Given the frequency of use of propofol, it would definitely be a profitable endeavor, although it may not be feasible with the pharmacodynamic profile of propofol. Then again, a tolerable amount in the formulation may do absolutely nothing to decrease pain on injection so the makers may just leave it up to us to inject a little local just prior to injecting the propofol.
I remember in 2003 at Southwestern, we were testing Ampofol, a propofol preparation with less lipid concentration designed to minimize the impact an infusion of propofol could have on triglyceride levels, microbial contamination, etc. Unfortunately, it caused MORE pain on injection than any of the currently utilized propofol formulations:
http://www.asaabstracts.com/strands...944805A946114D4?year=2003&index=2&absnum=1000