Comparison of the effects of general anesthesia between remimazolam and propofol in pediatric patients undergoing binocular strabismus day surgery

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effects of general anesthesia between remimazolam and propofol in pediatric patients undergoing binocular strabismus day surgery. Methods: Prospectively, 60 pediatric patients, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ, scheduled to undergo binocular strabismus daytime surgery in Beijing Tongren Hospital under general anesthesia with laryngeal mask airway from December 2021 to May 2022 were selected. They were randomly divided into Remimazolam group and Propofol group with 30 cases in each group, according to the ratio of 1∶1 by SPSS program. Patients in Remimazolam group were induced by remimazolam, remifentanil and micuronium chloride, and maintained by remimazolam and remifentanil. Patients in Propofol group were induced by propofol, remifentanil and micuronium chloride, and maintained by propofol and remifentanil. Patients in Remimazolam group were given 0.1 mg of flumazenil for antagonism 3 minutes after operation, while children in Propofol group waited for natural awakening. The primary outcome was the time from drug withdrawal to laryngeal mask removal after operation. The secondary outcomes included the time for consciousness loss during induction, intraoperative hemodynamic data [mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate], the success rate of sedation, the awareness rate during operation, and the incidence of adverse events after admission to postanesthesia care unit(PACU). Results: The Remimazolam group included 12 males and 18 females, aged (5.0±1.4) years. There were 14 males and 16 females in the Propofol group, aged (5.3±1.3) years. The time from drug withdrawal to laryngeal mask removal in Remimazolam group was (6.5±1.2) min, which was shorter than that in Propofol group of (10.7±1.9) min (P<0.001). The time for consciousness loss during induction was (38.1±4.8) s in Remimazolam group, which was longer than that in Propofol group of (31.6±4.9) s (P<0.001). The variability of MAP and heart rate of patients during operation in Remimazolam group was lower than that in Propofol group (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in sedation success rate, intraoperative awareness and adverse reactions in PACU between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion: In pediatric patients with binocular strabismus during daytime surgery, general anesthesia with remimazolam can shorten the time from drug withdrawal to laryngeal mask removal after operation without increasing the incidence of postoperative adverse reactions and can provide more stable hemodynamics.