The Effect of Anesthesia Depth Monitoring on Emergence Delirium in Pediatrics

Sevoflurane is a widely used agent for the induction and maintenance of anesthesia, but its use is associated with the occurrence of ED in the pediatric population. Clinical findings are characterized by hallucinations, struggling, restlessness, crying, and disorientation.

In the literature, the Pediatric Anesthesia Rescue Delirium (PAED) Scale Score is used in the diagnosis of ED and EA. This score consists of 5 criteria (maximum score 20) scored using 0-4 point scales. These criteria; The child needs to make eye contact with the caregiver, the child's movements are purposeful, the child is aware of the environment, the child is restless/angry, the child cannot be consoled. While the sensitivity of ≥10 points for the diagnosis of ED is 64% and the specificity is 86%, the sensitivity of >12 points for the diagnosis of ED is 100% and the specificity is 94.5%.

Monitoring intraoperative depth of anesthesia in the adult population has been recommended by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) due to its potential benefits such as faster recovery time and lower drug dosage, as well as prevention of adverse effects such as the incidence of hypotension. The use of anesthesia depth monitors used so far for children is controversial because brain development in children has not yet been completed and the calculation algorithms of these indices are based on adult EEG characteristics.

There are very few studies in the literature on the relationship between anesthesia depth monitoring and EA/ED in children, and further studies are needed.