Evaluation of the effect of two intravenous and inhalational general anesthetic methods on emergence agitation of children subsequent to dental procedures

Emergence agitation is a common clinical phenomenon in children undergoing general anesthesia. A possible predisposing factor is the type of general anesthetic technique used. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of two intravenous and inhalational general anesthetic methods on emergence agitation of children in the recovery room. In this prospective single-blind clinical trial, 56 children aged less than 6 years were randomly divided into two groups of 28. The first group received IV general anesthesia with propofol and alfentanyl and the second group received inhalation anesthesia with isoflorance and nitrous oxide. After awakening in the recovery room the children's emergence agitation was measured every ten minutes for 60 minutes by PAED scale. Data was analyzed with t-test, chi-squared test and ANOVA with SPSS software (α = 0.05). Emergence agitation in the intravenous and inhalational groups at 10-minute interval were 12.85 and 10.51 on PAED scale, respectively, demonstrating a significantly higher rate in the intravenous group. However, in general, there were no significant differences between the two groups (p value = 0.241). There was an inverse relationship between age and agitation, with higher rates in younger children. Based on the results it was concluded that decision-making on the type of anesthesia should not be based on emergence agitation. Other factors involved in emergence agitation should be considered.