We've told you since July 15 police believe Dr. Conrad Murray administered Propofol to Michael Jackson -- the drug that killed him. There's a reason police believe it. Dr. Murray told them.

Two days after Jackson's death, Dr. Murray told LAPD detectives he administered Propofol to the singer hours before he died ... this, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

We're told Dr. Murray gave Jackson an IV drip of the powerful anesthesia. Police believe Dr. Murray simply wasn't paying attention when the singer's heart stopped beating.

Authorities believe Dr. Murray may have actually fallen asleep during the time the drug was administered and may have awakened to find Jackson already dead from heart failure.

An IV drip of Propofol allows a constant, steady infusion of the drug for a period of time determined by the person administering it.

It is considered reckless in the medical community for a doctor to administer an IV drip of Propofol without the patient being monitored by an EKG, which sounds an alarm when the patient's pulse drops too low. No EKG was found in the house.
Another device -- known as a pulse oximeter -- is used to determine the oxygen saturation in the patient's blood. If the patient's breathing slows to a dangerous level, an alarm alerts the treating physician. Again, no oximeter was found in the house (TMZ)

What is Propofol

Propofol (marketed under the trade name Diprivan) is a short-acting, intravenous,nonbarbiturate sedative agent used for the induction of general anesthesia for adults and children, maintenance of general anesthesia, sedation in medical contexts, such as intensive care unit (ICU) sedation for intubated, mechanically ventilated adults, and in procedures such as colonoscopy and endoscopy, as well as in dental surgery. It has largely replaced sodium thiopental (trade name Pentothal) for induction of anesthesia. Recovery after propofol anaesthesia is more rapid and 'clear' as compared to thiopental.

Typically during surgery, opioids such as fentanyl are also given since propofol is not considered an analgesic drug.  Propofol is approved for use in more than 50 countries. It is also commonly used in veterinary medicine.

Side effects

Aside from the hypotension (mainly through vasodilatation) and transient apnea following induction doses, one of propofol's most frequent side effects is pain on injection, especially in smaller veins. This pain can be mitigated by pretreatment with lidocaine. Patients tend to show great variability in their response to propofol, at times showing profound sedation with small doses. A more serious but rare side effect isdystonia. Mild myoclonic movements are common, as with other intravenous hypnotic agents. Propofol appears to be safe for use in porphyria, and has not been known to trigger malignant hyperpyrexia.

Another recently described rare, but serious, side effect is propofol infusion syndrome. This potentially lethal metabolic derangement has been reported in critically-ill patients after a prolonged infusion of high-dose propofol in combination with catecholamines and/or corticosteroids.

Abuse

Despite a lack of analgesic properties, abuse of propofol has been reported. It can produce mild euphoria, sexual hallucinations, and disinhibition. Such recreational abuse has been described amongst medical staff such as anaesthetists who have access to the drug. However, abuse of the drug is relatively rare due to its potency and the level of monitoring required to take it, and it has not been scheduled by the US Drug Enforcement Administration. The steep dose response curve of the drug makes such abuse very dangerous without proper monitoring, and at least three deaths from self-administration have been recorded. The autopsy of entertainer Michael Jackson found propofol in his system and is believed to be a contributing factor in his death.