A recent study suggests that low-dose esketamine combined with propofol may improve anesthesia and early postoperative recovery in children undergoing strabismus surgery. Researchers evaluated the combination for its ability to reduce propofol-related injection pain and improve comfort during recovery.
The randomized controlled study included 84 children aged 3 to 15 years, who were divided into an esketamine-propofol group and a control group.
Reduced Pain and Better Recovery
The researchers found that children who received esketamine experienced significantly less pain during propofol injection. Injection pain occurred in 56.1% of children in the esketamine group compared with 87.5% in the control group.
Moreover, the esketamine group reported lower pain scores during the immediate postoperative period. The researchers also observed fewer cases of emergence agitation, oculocardiac reflex and coughing during extubation, suggesting better comfort during recovery.
According to Medical Dialogues, the combination also maintained comparable hemodynamic stability between the two groups, supporting its potential role in improving the perioperative experience.
Further Research Needed
However, the researchers noted that the study had limitations, including its small sample size and single-centre design. Additionally, it did not assess long-term outcomes or quality of life.
Therefore, larger studies involving diverse patient populations will be necessary to confirm whether low-dose esketamine can become a reliable approach for improving postoperative recovery in children.