Comparison of the effects of dexmedetomidine and propofol in reducing recovery agitation in pediatric patients after ketamine procedural sedation in emergency department

Ketamine has been a safe and effective sedative agent commonly used for painful pediatric procedures in the emergency department (ED). This study aimed to compare the effect of dexmedetomidine (Dex) and propofol when used as co-administration with ketamine on recovery agitation in children who underwent procedural sedation. In this prospective, randomized, and double-blind clinical trial, 93 children aged between 3 and 17 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists Class I and II undergoing short procedures in the ED were enrolled and assigned into three equal groups to receive either ketadex (Dex 0.7 μg/kg and ketamine 1 mg/kg), ketofol (propofol 0.5 mg/kg and ketamine 0.5 mg/kg), or ketamine alone (ketamine1 mg/kg) intravenously. Incidence and severity of recovery agitation were evaluated using the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale and compared between the groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the three groups with respect to age, gender, and weight ( > 0.05). The incidence of recovery agitation was 3.2% in the ketadex group, 22.6% in the ketofol group, and 22.6% in the ketamine group ( = 0.002, children undergoing short procedures were recruited). There was a less unpleasant recovery reaction (hallucination, crying, and nightmares) in the ketadex group compared with the ketofol and ketamine groups ( < 0.05). There was no difference in the incidence of oxygen desaturation between the groups ( = 0.30). The co-administering of Dex to ketamine could significantly reduce the incidence and severity of recovery agitation in children sedated in the ED.