Comparison of the Effects of Esketamine/Propofol and Sufentanil/Propofol on the Incidence of Intraoperative Hypoxemia during Bronchoscopy: Protocol for a Randomized, Prospective, Parallel-Group Trial

Background: Propofol, ketamine, and sufentanil are the most commonly used anesthetics during bronchoscopy, alone or in combination, for sedation. Esketamine is an s-enantiomer of ketamine racemate and has both sedative and analgesic effects. Esketamine does not inhibit respiration and maintains hemodynamic stability. This study aims to compare the clinical efficacy of esketamine/propofol with sufentanil/propofol for patients during bronchoscopy. Methods: Patients undergoing bronchoscopy will be randomly assigned to receive either sufentanil/propofol (sufentanil group; n = 33; sufentanil: 0.2 μg/kg) or esketamine/propofol (esketamine group; n = 33; esketamine: 0.2 mg/kg) for sedation and analgesia. Intraoperative clinical information, general anesthetic drug dosage, the incidence of intraoperative hypoxemia, total time of hypoxemia, awakening time, delirium, nausea and vomiting, adverse reactions, and patient satisfaction will be collected. Discussion: Hypoxia has detrimental effects on patients with respiratory disease. Ameliorating hypoxemia in patients undergoing bronchoscopy is critical. Our results will provide effective sedation with esketamine in patients undergoing bronchoscopy. Trial registration: Chinese clinical trial registry: ChiCTR2200058990.