Remifentanil vs Fentanyl in Children 7-12 After Urologic Surgery: Emergence Delirium and Recovery Quality

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Opioids: Remifentanil 0.5 microgram/kg intravenously after loss of consciousness, followed by a continuous maintenance infusion of 1 microgram/kg/minute until the end of surgery. And; Fentanyl 1 microgram/kg intravenously after loss of consciousness, followed by 1 microgram/kg intravenously every 30 minutes until the end of surgery.

Study summary

Emergence delirium (agitation) is a common complication in children recovering from general anesthesia, especially after sevoflurane. Affected children wake in a dissociative state - restless, crying, inconsolable, unaware of their surroundings - with a reported incidence of 25-80%. It raises the risk of self-injury, accidental catheter removal, vomiting, and maladaptive behavior persisting for weeks, and prolongs hospital stay.

Short-acting opioids such as fentanyl and remifentanil are widely used in pediatric anesthesia for sedation and analgesia and to blunt the hemodynamic response to surgical stimulation and airway instrumentation. Both have been proposed to reduce emergence agitation after sevoflurane anesthesia, but findings for remifentanil are inconsistent: some studies report a reduction, others an increase. Clinicians therefore lack clear guidance on opioid selection for maintenance.

This trial compares intraoperative remifentanil with intraoperative fentanyl maintenance on the occurrence of emergence delirium in children undergoing urologic surgery under general anesthesia. Secondary aims are postoperative recovery, duration of surgery, and intraoperative hemodynamics.

Design: single-center randomized controlled trial. 176 children aged 7-12 years, ASA I-II, scheduled for elective pediatric urologic surgery, randomized 1:1 (88 per group).

All participants receive the same background technique: intravenous midazolam 0.05 mg/kg five minutes before entering the operating room; standard monitoring (ECG, pulse oximetry, non-invasive blood pressure, capnography); induction with propofol 3-5 mg/kg; laryngeal mask airway (LMA); sevoflurane titrated to 1 MAC; and preemptive intravenous paracetamol and ketamine 0.3 mg/kg after induction.

The fentanyl group receives fentanyl 1 mcg/kg after loss of consciousness, then 1 mcg/kg every 30 minutes until the end of surgery. The remifentanil group receives remifentanil 0.5 mcg/kg, then an infusion of 1 mcg/kg/min. In both groups the LMA is inserted 90 seconds after the bolus.

At the end of surgery sevoflurane is discontinued and the LMA removed once the child breathes regularly and moves purposefully without stimulation. Emergence delirium is assessed in the post-anesthesia care unit with the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scale (0-20). Additional measurements include time from sevoflurane discontinuation to LMA removal, time to eye opening on verbal stimulus, and readiness for discharge.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Incidence of emergence delirium assessed by the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scale — From arrival in the post-anesthesia care unit until discharge criteria are met (modified Aldrete score greater than 9) plus 30 minutes of further observation, assessed up to 2 hours after discontinuation of sevoflurane
  Emergence delirium is assessed in the post-anesthesia care unit using the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scale by an assessor masked to group allocation. The scale comprises five items, each scored from 0 to 4, giving a total score from 0 to 20, where higher scores indicate more severe emergence delirium. A participant is classified as having emergence delirium if the peak PAED score is 10 or greater at any assessment. The outcome is reported as the proportion of participants in each arm meeting this threshold.

Trial sites (1)

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