Effect of Esketamine on Early Negative Postoperative Behavioural Occurrence After Pediatric Concealed Penis Correction
[Objective]To investigate the effect of esketamine pretreatment on early negative postoperative behavioural occurrence after pediatric concealed penis correction.[Methods]A total of 88 children,aged 4-10 years old,of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅰ-Ⅱ,undergoing pediatric cryptorchid penis correction operation within 1 hour,were randomly divided into the esketamine group(Group E,n=44)and the control group(Group C,n=44)according to the computer-generated random numeral order.Esketamine was infused intravenously at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg 20 minutes before entering the operating room in Group E,while equal volume of normal saline was given instead of esketamine in group C.General anesthesia with laryngeal mask and inhalation anesthesia was used in both groups.The anxiety level of children was evaluated by modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale(m-YPAS)on the day before surgery and before entering operating room on the day of the operation.The induction compliance level of children was evaluated by the Induction Compliance Checklist(ICC).Heart rate(HR)and mean arterial pressure(MAP)were recorded before the induction of anesthesia(T0),immediately after the induction(T1),the beginning of the operation(T2),the time of admission to the PACU(T3),10 min after the PACU(T4),and before discharge from PACU(T5).Paediatric Anaesthesia Awakening Delirium Scale(PAED)and Pain Behavioural Assessment Scale(FLACC)scores were performed during awakening.A volume of 3 mL of peripheral venous blood was collected on the first preoperative day as well as the first postoperative day,and the levels of monocyte chemotactic protein 1(MCP-1),cortisol and epinephrine were measured.The Postoperative Behavioural Questionnaire(PHBQ)questionnaire was recorded on postoperative days 3 and 7 for all children.[Results]The incidence of NPOBCs on postoperative days 3 and 7 was significantly lower in Group E compared with that of Group C(31.8%vs.63.6%,P<0.05;18.2%vs.40.9%,P<0.05).The incidence of separation anxiety,sleep anxiety,and eating disorders in the PHBQ on postoperative day 3 was significantly lower in Group E than in Group C.The difference was statistically significant(P<0.05);there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups when comparing the incidence of overall anxiety,aggression,and apathetic withdrawal(P>0.05).On postoperative day 7,the incidence of all indicators in the PHBQ was not statistically different between the 2 groups(P>0.05).Compared with Group C,postoperative MCP-1 was significantly lower in Group E,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05);whereas for epinephrine and cortisol levels,there was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups(P>0.05).Multivariable logistic regression analysis suggested that the possible risk factors for NPOBCs after pediatric concealed penis correction included the m-YPAS score[OR=1.152,95%CI(1.083,1.226);P=0.000],and the use of esketamine[OR=0.223,95%CI(0.062,0.803);P=0.022].The AUC under the ROC curve of m-YPAS and the use of esketamine as two predictors of the occurrence of NPOBCs were 0.918[P<0.001,95%CI(0.849,0.988)]and 0.659[P=0.010,95%CI(0.544,0.774)],respectively.There was no statistically significant difference in PAED scores and FLACC scores between the two groups in the PACU(P>0.05).[Conclusion]Esketamine pretreatment can reduce the incidence of NPOBCs in children undergoing concealed penis correction,which may be associated with a reduction in postoperative MCP-1,without an increase in perioperative adverse events and with a high safety profile.