Comparison of the effects of 5 and 10 L/minute fresh gas flow on emergence from sevoflurane anesthesia: A randomized clinical trial

A high fresh gas flow of >5 L/minute is commonly used for emergence from inhalation anesthesia. In addition, a high fresh gas flow may have detrimental effects on climate change. However, no study has determined the optimal fresh gas flow for emergence from inhalation anesthesia. Therefore, we compared the effect of fresh gas flows of 5 L/minute and 10 L/minute on emergence time from sevoflurane anesthesia. METHODS: Patients who were scheduled for transurethral resection of bladder tumor were randomly assigned to receive fresh gas flows of 5 L/minute (group 5) or 10 L/minute (group 10) during emergence. Emergence time was defined as the time from discontinuation of sevoflurane to tracheal extubation. The primary outcome was the emergence time, and the secondary outcomes were the time to self-movement and the time to eye-opening. RESULTS: A total of 54 patients were included. In groups 5 and 10, emergence time (12.1 ± 2.9 minutes vs 11.1 ± 2.7 minutes, respectively; P = .232), time to self-movement (9.4 ± 3.8 minutes vs 8.5 ± 4.6 minutes, respectively; P = .435), and time to eye-opening (11.5 ± 3.1 minute vs 10.6 ± 3.0 minutes, respectively; P = .252) were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Emergence time, time to self-movement, and time to eye opening were not significantly different between fresh gas flow rates of 5 L/minute and 10 L/minute in transurethral resection of bladder tumor, thus suggesting that fresh gas flow of 5 L/minute is sufficient for emergence from sevoflurane anesthesia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05376631).