Epigenetics in PostOperative Pediatric Emergence Delirium

BACKGROUND: The risks of neurotoxicity and late cognitive impairment supported the recent US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendation on caution in the indication of anesthesia in children up to 3 years of age. Among the cognitive alterations related to pediatric anesthesia, emergence delirium (ED) is frequent in pre-school children. There is no consensus on the risk factors and forms of ED prevention, which occurs more frequently after inhalation anesthesia. On the other hand, anesthesia-induced epigenetic changes may be the key to understanding various complications and perioperative outcomes. There are no specific biomarkers for ED. Such biomarkers would be used to measure the risk of ED and would contribute to prevention and treatment. It has been hypothesized that behavioral changes in ED may be related to epigenetic modifications, analyzed through the DNA methylation profile. OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of the study is to investigate the DNA methylation profile in children with ED. The secondary objectives are to evaluate the correlation between the DNA methylation profile with the anesthetic technique and the degree of preoperative anxiety. METHODS: Children (N=322) from 1 to 12 years old, candidates to digestive endoscopy under general anesthesia will be recruited in an outpatient clinic from a tertiary university hospital. After informed consent, the child and parents' preoperative anxiety will be assessed through the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) and VAS-Anx (Anxiety Visual Analogic Scale), respectively. The quality of anesthetic induction will be evaluated through Pediatric Anesthesia Behavior (PAB) scale and Perioperative Adult Child Behavior Interaction Scale (PACBIS). After inhaled induction with sevoflurane, blood sample collection will be performed to evaluate DNA methylation, followed by randomization in two groups to maintain anesthesia using the venous technique, with propofol or inhaled anesthesia with sevoflurane. Upon awakening, the ED will be evaluated through PAED (Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium) scale. Twenty children from each group presenting ED as well as 08 control cases will have their venous blood samples sent for DNA methylation analysis using the array technique. After hospital discharge, the postoperative behavioral changes will be observed through the PHBQ (Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire) questionnaire.