Recovery characteristics of total intravenous anesthesia with propofol versus sevoflurane anesthesia: a prospective randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Pediatric dental procedures are performed under anesthesia because children may be uncooperative in the dental clinic due to their young age. Emergence delirium (ED), which involves a variety of behavioral disturbances that are frequently observed in children following emergence from general anesthesia, remains an unclear phenomenon. The aim of this randomized controlled trial is to compare the incidence of ED in children who underwent full mouth dental rehabilitation under either sevoflurane (SEVO) anesthesia or propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and twenty children with American Society of Anesthesiologists status I–II, aged ≥3 and ≤6 years, undergoing dental rehabilitation were assigned to receive either TIVA or SEVO. ED and postoperative pain were evaluated by a blinded investigator using the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale and the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability scale every 5 min. The recovery time, satisfaction levels of parents or guardians, extubation time, duration of the operation, and type of dental procedure were also recorded. RESULTS: Data of 116 subjects were analyzed. The incidence of ED was higher after SEVO than after TIVA (65.5 vs 3.4%, P=0.00). Greater postoperative pain was observed in the SEVO group (median 3 vs 1, P=0.000). A statistically significant, moderate correlation (rs=0.46, P<0.0001) was found between the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability and Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scores. A higher parental satisfaction level was observed in the TIVA group. CONCLUSION: A lower incidence of ED and a higher parental satisfaction level were observed after TIVA. Moreover, TIVA resulted in a more comfortable postoperative period due to reduced postoperative pain, and the extubation time and recovery time were not increased.