Effect of ketamine on emergence agitation following septoplasty: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract Background and objectives The risk of emergence agitation (EA) is high in patients undergoing nasal surgery. The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of EA in adults undergoing septoplasty and the effect of ketamine on EA. Methods In this randomized study, a total of 102 ASA I-II patients who underwent septoplasty between July 2018 and April 2019 were divided into two groups: ketamine (Group-K, n = 52) and saline (Group-S, n = 50). After anesthesia induction, Group-K was intravenously administered 20 mL of saline containing 1 mg kg-1 ketamine, whereas Group-S was administered 20 mL of saline. Sedation and agitation scores at emergence from anesthesia, incidence of cough, emergence time, and response to verbal stimuli time were recorded. The sedation/agitation and pain levels were recorded for 30 minutes in the recovery unit. Results There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of the incidence of EA (Group-K: 15.4%, Group-S: 24%). The incidence of cough during emergence was higher in Group-S than in Group-K, but the response time to verbal stimuli and emergence time were shorter in Group-S. The sedation and agitation scores were similar after surgery. Pain scores were higher in Group-S at the time of admission to the recovery unit and were similar between groups in the other time points. Conclusion Administration of 1 mg kg-1 ketamine after anesthesia induction does not affect the incidence of EA in patients undergoing septoplasty, but it prolongs the emergence and response time to verbal stimuli and reduces the incidence of cough.