Different anesthetic approaches on postoperative emergence agitation in pediatric patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy: a prospective randomized study

Background: Adenotonsillectomy is one of the most common pediatric surgeries and is often complicated by postoperative emergence agitation (POEA), a short-lived but distressing state of confusion and restlessness after anesthesia. POEA may decrease comfort and increase the risk of perioperative complications. Objective: To compare four commonly used anesthetic strategies-propofol bolus, ketamine bolus, lidocaine infusion, and magnesium sulfate infusion-with respect to POEA and early recovery quality in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy. Methods: In this single-center, prospective randomized trial, 100 children aged 3-10 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-II scheduled for adenotonsillectomy were assigned to one of four anesthetic groups. All patients received standardized premedication, intraoperative management, and multimodal analgesia. Postoperative complications, analgesic requirements, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), time to eye opening, duration of stay in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), vital signs, Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) pain score , Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) score, Modified Aldrete Score (MAS) were recorded and compared.