Paola Aceto, Andrea Russo, Chiara Cambise, Ersilia Luca, Chiara Schipa, Giusy Fortunato, Bruno Romanò, Emilio Sacco, Angelo Totaro, Marco Campetella, Bruno Federico, Cinzia Dello Russo, Liliana Sollazzi
{"title":"Recovery from deep neuromuscular blockade using different sugammadex doses in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic robot-assisted prostatectomy: A prospective, randomised, double-blind, phase III trial.","authors":"Paola Aceto, Andrea Russo, Chiara Cambise, Ersilia Luca, Chiara Schipa, Giusy Fortunato, Bruno Romanò, Emilio Sacco, Angelo Totaro, Marco Campetella, Bruno Federico, Cinzia Dello Russo, Liliana Sollazzi","doi":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002206","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002206","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11920,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Anaesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"747-750"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12237094/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144119178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Benjamin Javillier, Nicolas Gillain, Vincent Bonhomme, Eric Deflandre
{"title":"Assessment of the paratracheal force required to occlude the oesophagus: is there a sex difference?: A short scientific report.","authors":"Benjamin Javillier, Nicolas Gillain, Vincent Bonhomme, Eric Deflandre","doi":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002179","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002179","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11920,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Anaesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"756-758"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143771741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexander Olausson, Pether Jildenstål, Paulin Andréll, Eva Angelini, Erik Stenberg, Ville Wallenius, Henrik Öhrström, Sven-Egron Thörn, Axel Wolf
{"title":"Effects of an opioid-free care pathway vs. opioid-based standard care on postoperative pain and postoperative quality of recovery after laparoscopic bariatric surgery: A multicentre randomised controlled trial.","authors":"Alexander Olausson, Pether Jildenstål, Paulin Andréll, Eva Angelini, Erik Stenberg, Ville Wallenius, Henrik Öhrström, Sven-Egron Thörn, Axel Wolf","doi":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002193","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002193","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Opioid-free anaesthesia (OFA) may enhance postoperative recovery after bariatric surgery, but its combined effect with opioid-free interventions has not been studied.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To compare postoperative pain and recovery after laparoscopic bariatric surgery with a total opioid-free care pathway and conventional opioid-based treatment.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A multicentre nonblinded controlled trial.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Two university hospitals in Sweden.</p><p><strong>Patients: </strong>Adult patients scheduled for laparoscopic bariatric surgery were enrolled between May 2019 and November 2023. Of 837 patients screened, 112 were randomised, and 110 were included in the analysis: 55 in the intervention and 55 in the control group.</p><p><strong>Interventions: </strong>Patients were randomised to an opioid-based standard care (control group) or to an opioid-free care pathway (intervention group), including intraoperative OFA and postoperative first-line transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) treatment.</p><p><strong>Main outcome measures: </strong>The primary outcome was the change in patient-reported postoperative pain intensity on a numerical rating scale (NRS) from arrival in the postanaesthesia care unit (PACU) until discharge to the surgical ward. Key secondary outcomes were postoperative pain intensity, in-hospital opioid consumption, and postoperative quality of recovery scale (PQRS) scores.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There was no difference between the groups regarding the changes in pain intensity from arrival in PACU until discharge to the ward, with mean ± SD changes in NRS of 3.20 ± 3.01 (intervention) vs. 3.15 ± 2.25 (control); mean difference (MD) 0.04 [(95% confidence interval (CI), -1.00 to 1.08); P = 0.97], and pain intensity at 24 h ( P = 0.078), 72 h ( P = 0.060), and 3 months ( P = 0.30) postoperatively. The intervention group had a significantly lower opioid consumption in the PACU; mean morphine equivalents 6.08 ± 12.31 vs. 51.1 ± 14.9 mg; MD -45.0 (95% CI, -50.1 to -39.8) mg; P < 0.0001; and during the hospital stay MD -40.3 (95% CI, -54.4 to -25.9) mg; P < 0.0001. Total PQRS scores did not differ significantly over the 3-month follow-up.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The opioid-free care pathway offers patients pain relief and recovery outcomes comparable to conventional opioid-based care and reduces opioid use after laparoscopic bariatric surgery.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03756961.</p>","PeriodicalId":11920,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Anaesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"714-726"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12237137/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144076728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marijn P Mulder, Jan-Willem Potters, Lex M van Loon, Kenny Rumindo, Magnus Hallbäck, Elira Maksuti, Dirk W Donker, Claudius Diez
{"title":"Context-specific clinical applicability of the end-expiratory occlusion test to predict fluid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Marijn P Mulder, Jan-Willem Potters, Lex M van Loon, Kenny Rumindo, Magnus Hallbäck, Elira Maksuti, Dirk W Donker, Claudius Diez","doi":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002181","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002181","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The emergence of context-specific clinical evidence from the end-expiratory occlusion test (EEOT) may change the perception of its operative performance to predict fluid responsiveness.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Assessment of predictive performance of the EEOT in the intensive care unit (ICU) and operating room.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Systematic review of observational diagnostic test accuracy studies with meta-analysis.</p><p><strong>Data sources: </strong>MEDLINE, Embase and Scopus were used as data sources for relevant publications until February 2024.</p><p><strong>Eligibility criteria: </strong>Prospective clinical studies in which the EEOT was used to predict fluid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated adults, regardless of the clinical care context. The operative performance characteristics must also have been reported.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-four studies involving 1073 adult patients (588 receiving intensive care and 485 in the operating room) were systematically reviewed, and 22 studies comprising 1049 volume expansions were meta-analysed. The pooled sensitivity [95% confidence interval (CI)] of the EEOT was 0.87 (0.81 to 0.92), and the pooled specificity was 0.90 (0.85 to 0.94); the median [interquartile range] cardiac index ( CI ) threshold for a positive test was a 5.0 [3.3 to 5.3] increase. The clinical context, the method used for haemodynamic monitoring, the ratio of the averaging time of the monitoring method to the occlusion time, the levels of positive end-expiratory pressure and the choice of cardiac output marker were identified as significant sources of heterogeneity. However, the occlusion duration and tidal volume did not significantly affect its performance. A novel insight is that performance was notably lower in the operating room setting. The likelihood ratios were 14 (positive) and 0.12 (negative) for the ICU, both better than 3.1 and 0.21 for the operating room. The overall quality of the evidence was assessed to be very low, mainly due to high heterogeneity and risk of bias; however, no publication bias was detected.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The EEOT for predicting fluid responsiveness in critical care performs acceptably well overall and is a confirmative test. In the operating room and/or with specific technical settings, its performance and clinical utility are reduced, driving the need for more context-specific and patient-specific fluid responsiveness assessments.</p>","PeriodicalId":11920,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Anaesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"737-746"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12237134/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143984169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Andrea Russo, Paola Aceto, Laura Cascarano, Luca S Menga, Bruno Romanò, Simone Carelli, Edoardo Console, Francesca Pugliese, Chiara Cambise, Claudio Fiorillo, Sergio Alfieri, Massimo Antonelli, Liliana Sollazzi, Antonio M Dell'Anna
{"title":"A dynamic elastance-based protocol to guide intra-operative fluid management in major abdominal surgery: A randomised clinical trial.","authors":"Andrea Russo, Paola Aceto, Laura Cascarano, Luca S Menga, Bruno Romanò, Simone Carelli, Edoardo Console, Francesca Pugliese, Chiara Cambise, Claudio Fiorillo, Sergio Alfieri, Massimo Antonelli, Liliana Sollazzi, Antonio M Dell'Anna","doi":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002162","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002162","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Arterial hypotension during major surgery is related to postoperative complications and mortality. Both fluids and vasopressors increase blood pressure (BP) by inducing different physiological response. We devised a protocol which relies on dynamic arterial elastance (Ea dyn ) to guide BP optimisation during major abdominal surgery, and tested its effectiveness on tissue perfusion.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To explore if an Ea dyn -based optimisation protocol could affect lactate levels, fluid administration, and postoperative clinical complications.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Randomised open-label clinical trial.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>High-volume tertiary care centre for pancreatic surgery.</p><p><strong>Patients: </strong>From 58 patients scheduled for cephalic duodenopancreatectomy 46 were eligible for the study.</p><p><strong>Main outcomes and measures: </strong>The primary endpoint was the lactate value one hour after extubation. Secondary endpoints were fluid balance, intra-operative hypotension and postoperative complications. In the control group, hypotension (mean arterial pressure < 65 mmHg) was treated based on stroke volume variation (SVV) while in the experimental group the treatment was based on assessment of dynamic arterial elastance (Ea dyn group). Patient demographic and pre-operative laboratory data were recorded. All haemodynamic data, including oxygen delivery and consumption, were recorded at four time points: after intubation (T0), after fascia opening (T1), after fascia closing (T2) and one hour after extubation (T3).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The patients were 70 [63 to 76] years and 15 (33%) were ASA 3. Lactate levels at T3 were similar between the control and Ea dyn groups. Oxygen consumption was higher in the Ea dyn group at T3, and lactate had a significant percentage decrease from T2 to T3: median [IQR], -24.5 [-30 to -14] vs. 0 [-24 to 7.6]%, P = 0.004). Those in Ea dyn group received more vasopressors and had a lower fluid balance at T3: 2700 [2100 to 3800] vs. 2200 [1060 to 3000] ml, P = 0.020). There were no significant differences either in postoperative complications or hospital stay.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>A protocol including Ea dyn to treat hypotension did not reduce lactate after major abdominal surgery, but it was associated with a significant reduction in fluid balance and increase in oxygen consumption.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05187273.</p>","PeriodicalId":11920,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Anaesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"727-736"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143604500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ming Jin, Hongqi Lin, Lin Qiu, Hongdang Xu, Haoran Zhang, Shuhui Hou
{"title":"Remimazolam for successful sedation in children with left-to-right shunt congenital heart disease: An up-and-down sequential allocation trial.","authors":"Ming Jin, Hongqi Lin, Lin Qiu, Hongdang Xu, Haoran Zhang, Shuhui Hou","doi":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002183","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002183","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The findings of this study offer insights into the utilisation of remimazolam for sedation in paediatric patients with left-to-right shunt congenital heart disease (CHD).</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To study the median effective dose (ED 50 ) and 95 percentile of the effective dose (ED 95 ) of remimazolam for successful sedation in children with CHD.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A nonrandomised, nonblinded study based on the Dixon sequential method.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Tertiary hospitals in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, study dates: 20 October 2023 to 18 May 2024.</p><p><strong>Patients: </strong>A total of 78 patients, comprising 32 males and 45 females, successfully completed the study. They were selected based on the following criteria: children aged 1 to 6 years with left-to-right shunt CHD; ASA physical status II-III. The key exclusion criteria were: history of allergy to sedative drugs; administration of sedative medications other than the study drug before surgery; severe pre-operative liver or kidney dysfunction; pre-operative bradycardia; and severe pre-operative respiratory diseases.</p><p><strong>Intervention: </strong>The sedation status of the patients was observed for 5 min after intravenous administration of different doses of remimazolam.</p><p><strong>Main outcome measures: </strong>The ED 50 and ED 95 of remimazolam for successful sedation in children with CHD.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The ED 50 (95% CI) of remimazolam for successful sedation in infants, toddlers and preschool children with CHD were 0.209 (0.184 to 0.234) mg kg -1 , 0.259 (0.234 to 0.284) mg kg -1 and 0.266 (0.207 to 0.325) mg kg -1 , respectively. ED 95 (95% CI) were 0.356 (0.282 to 0.672) mg kg -1 , 0.404 (0.330 to 0.741) mg kg -1 and 0.408 (0.334 to 0.752) mg kg -1 , respectively. No serious adverse reactions were observed with intravenous remimazolam.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study explored the ED 50 and ED 95 of remimazolam for pre-operative sedation in children with left-to-right shunt CHD. It provides guidance for pre-operative sedation medication in children with left-to-right shunt CHD.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>https://www.chictr.org.cn/Identifier: ChiCTR2300076458.</p>","PeriodicalId":11920,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Anaesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"697-703"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12237128/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143985731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sophie C E Starks, Anne Pohrt, Fatima Halzl-Yürek, Maria Heinrich, Anika Müller, Claudia D Spies, Georg Winterer, Norman Zacharias
{"title":"Long-term and pre-operative benzodiazepine use in older adults and risk for postoperative delirium: An additional analysis of the multicentre Biomarker Development for Postoperative Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly Study.","authors":"Sophie C E Starks, Anne Pohrt, Fatima Halzl-Yürek, Maria Heinrich, Anika Müller, Claudia D Spies, Georg Winterer, Norman Zacharias","doi":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002201","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002201","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common acute neurocognitive disorder characterised by sudden changes in mental status, including altered alertness, consciousness and cognition, and usually occurs in elderly patients. There is an urgent need to identify predictors of POD to prevent its onset, as it can significantly delay recovery from surgery. Benzodiazepines are among the most frequently prescribed medications, particularly for female individuals. They have a depressant effect on the central nervous system and are used to treat sleep disorders, anxiety, muscle relaxation and epilepsy. However, benzodiazepines may increase the risk of POD.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We sought to investigate whether long-term benzodiazepine use, premedication and the interaction of benzodiazepines with sex are associated with the occurrence of POD and postoperative neurocognitive ability.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A part analysis of the prospective multicentre BioCog cohort study.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Two-centre study conducted at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Germany) and University Hospital Utrecht (Netherlands), both primary care hospitals, between October 2014 and September 2019.</p><p><strong>Patients: </strong>Data from 928 patients from the BioCog cohort study who underwent elective surgery were analysed. Of these, 42.3% were women, 18.6% reported long-term benzodiazepine use and 12.4% received premedication with benzodiazepines.</p><p><strong>Main outcome measures: </strong>We studied the association of benzodiazepine use on cognition and the development of POD. We found that the timing of benzodiazepine use was crucial.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Long-term benzodiazepine use was significantly associated with the risk of developing POD, independent of sex ( P < 0.001). In contrast, premedication with benzodiazepines immediately before surgery was not associated with the risk of POD ( P = 0.242). males and females developed POD at similar rates. Regardless of sex, long-term benzodiazepine use elevated the risk of POD, unlike premedication with benzodiazepines.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Long-term use of benzodiazepines is associated with the development of POD, but short-term use as a premedicant is not. However, as this is an observational study, further research is needed to confirm these findings in a controlled setting.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02265263).</p>","PeriodicalId":11920,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Anaesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"704-713"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144092614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sebastian Roth, Theresa Tenge, René M'Pembele, Luca J Wachtendorf, Detlef Kindgen-Milles, Maximilian S Schaefer, Giovanna Lurati Buse
{"title":"Chronic kidney disease is associated with major adverse events on the ward after noncardiac surgery: A secondary analysis of an international cohort study.","authors":"Sebastian Roth, Theresa Tenge, René M'Pembele, Luca J Wachtendorf, Detlef Kindgen-Milles, Maximilian S Schaefer, Giovanna Lurati Buse","doi":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002195","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002195","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11920,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Anaesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"753-756"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144076698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Seokha Yoo, Byung-Moon Choi, Da Jung Kim, Jin-Tae Kim
{"title":"Plasma concentrations of total and unbound ropivacaine and its metabolite 2',6'-pipecoloxylidide after popliteal sciatic nerve block in chronic kidney disease patients not receiving haemodialysis: A population pharmacokinetic analysis.","authors":"Seokha Yoo, Byung-Moon Choi, Da Jung Kim, Jin-Tae Kim","doi":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002194","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002194","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11920,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Anaesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"751-753"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143974250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gustavo Roberto Minetto Wegner, Bruno Francisco Minetto Wegner, Larissa Santos Silva, Jaime Andres Arias
{"title":"Peri-operative dexmedetomidine and emergence agitation in adults undergoing nasal surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Gustavo Roberto Minetto Wegner, Bruno Francisco Minetto Wegner, Larissa Santos Silva, Jaime Andres Arias","doi":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002158","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EJA.0000000000002158","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>There is a high risk of emergence agitation associated with nasal surgery.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We aimed to assess the effect of dexmedetomidine on the incidence of emergence agitation during anaesthetic recovery in patients undergoing nasal surgeries under general anaesthesia.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.</p><p><strong>Data sources: </strong>A systematic search was conducted in Embase, Web of Science (all databases), Cochrane Library and PubMed up to 20 June 2024, following the recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook and the PRISMA statement.</p><p><strong>Eligibility criteria: </strong>Adult patients undergoing nasal surgeries under general anaesthesia (P), peri-operative dexmedetomidine use (I), placebo (C) and emergence agitation assessment (O).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Nine randomised controlled trials with a total of 620 patients were included in the analysis. The incidence of emergence agitation with the use of dexmedetomidine was significantly lower than with placebo (relative risk (RR) = 0.31, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.49, P < 0.0001, I2 = 63%, GRADE: moderate). No significant difference was found in the incidence of severe emergence agitation (RR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.24 to 1.02, P = 0.0552, I2 = 0%, GRADE: Very low). A trial sequential analysis (TSA) was conducted to assess the reliability of the findings, with parameters set at a type 1 error (α) of 5% and a power (1-β) of 80%. TSA confirmed the result for emergence agitation, but did not reach required information size for severe emergence agitation. Both assessment results were consistent and not dependent on any single study, as shown by the leave-one-out sensitivity analysis.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The use of dexmedetomidine significantly reduces the incidence of emergence agitation in patients undergoing nasal surgeries under general anaesthesia.</p><p><strong>Registration prospero id: </strong>CRD42024561188.</p>","PeriodicalId":11920,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Anaesthesiology","volume":" ","pages":"687-696"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143572485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}