Evaluation of preoperative melatonin on emergence agitation after herniorrhaphy surgeries in pediatrics

Abstract

Background and objective Emergence agitation is a common phenomenon in children recovering from general anesthesia. An emergence agitation reaction increases the risk of injuring the surgical repair, the patient, and the caregivers. Thus, we aim to explore the efficacy of melatonin premedication on emergence agitation in children undergoing herniorrhaphy surgeries. Patients and methods A randomized prospective triple-blinded trial was conducted on 117 children with herniorrhaphy surgeries conducted at the Anesthesia, ICU, and Pain Management Department, Menoufia University hospitals from April 2022 to July 2023. Results Yale preoperative scale at the start did not significantly differ among the studied groups (P>0.05). However, the Yale preoperative scale at 1 was significantly higher in group 1 with a mean of 10.2±1.9 than in group 2 (9.5±1.4) and group 3 (5.9±1.4) (P<0.001). The agitation score at 5 h was significantly higher among group 1 with a mean of 2.77±0.67 than group 2 (2.56±0.64) and group 3 (2.03±0.96) (P<0.001). Also, agitation scores at 10 and 15 h were significantly higher in group 1 (3.36±0.63, 4.2±0.66) than in group 2 (3.2±0.66, 3.79±0.73) and group 3 (1.74±0.88, 2.03±1.04), respectively (P<0.001). Conclusion Melatonin premedication decreased the agitation scale postoperatively. The decrease was significantly higher in high doses in preventing emergence agitation in children. High-dose melatonin compared with low dose might have a significant effect in preventing emergence agitation.