Emergence Agitation of Sevoflurane in Pediatric

The incidence of emergence agitation (EA) varies between 18% and 80. EA occurs most frequently in preschool children during the early stage of emergence from anaesthesia . It is considered a potentially serious postoperative complication that can result in physical harm and removal of intravenous catheters. As such, EA is a source of dissatisfaction for the parents of paediatric patients and their healthcare providers . Sevoflurane is an inhalational anaesthetic used widely as a paediatric or outpatient anaesthesia due to its excellent hemodynamic stability and low blood solubility, which allows rapid induction and emergence from general anaesthesia, as well as control of the depth of anaesthesia. However, when sevoflurane is used alone it is associated with a higher incidence of emergence agitation in children. The rapid removal of residual anaesthetics due to low blood solubility of sevoflurane has been suggested to cause emergence agitation in some patients Nalbuphine is a semi-synthetic, agonist antagonist opioid analgesic agent that acts as a partial agonist at kappa receptors and an antagonist at µ receptors, has minimal side effects, and exhibits a ceiling effect for respiratory depression . Nalbuphine should effectively relieve postoperative pain and decrease the rate of EA in paediatric patients after sevoflurane anaesthesia. Dexmedetomidine, a selective alpha 2 agonist, has been shown to reduce the incidence of postoperative agitation with sevoflurane anaesthesia . Dexmedetomidine can affect the brain and spinal cord α 2-adrenergic receptor, inhibition of neural discharge to produce sedative, analgesic, and anxiolytic effects. The Locus Coeruleus is a verified key part of the brain responsible for the regulation of arousal and sleep. Dexmedetomidine affects the brainstem locus coeruleus α 2-adrenergic receptors and produces sedative, hypnotic, and anxiolytic effects and it has also anesthetic-sparing effects without significant respiratory depression . This study will be conducted to evaluate the effect of intravenous nalbuphine IV 0.1 mg/kg versus Dexmedetomidine IV 0.5 μg/kg on EA in paediatric patients undergoing ENT surgeries under sevoflurane anaesthesia.