• Jun-Young Jo, Kyeo-Woon Jung, Ha-Jung Kim, Se-Ung Park, Hanwool Park, Seungwoo Ku, and Seong-Soo Choi.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
• JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019 Feb 1; 145 (2): 117-123.

ImportanceEmergence agitation is common after nasal surgery under general anesthesia and may lead to serious consequences for the patient, including an increased risk of injury, pain, hemorrhage, and self-extubation. Despite decades of research, studies on the incidence, risk factors, and prevention of emergence agitation in adult patients are ongoing, and opinions differ on the different effects of inhalation and intravenous anesthesia.ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of anesthetic method on the occurrence of emergence agitation after nasal surgery.Design, Setting, And ParticipantsThis prospective, randomized, single-blind, clinical trial included 80 patients undergoing open rhinoplasty, septoplasty, turbinoplasty, endoscopic sinus surgery, and functional endoscopic sinus surgery under general anesthesia who were randomized to receive total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with remifentanil hydrochloride and propofol (n = 40) or volatile induction and maintenance of anesthesia (VIMA) with sevoflurane and nitrous oxide (n = 40) in Asan Medical Center, a tertiary referral center in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Data were collected from August 24 through October 14, 2016, and analyzed from October 26, 2016, through September 14, 2017.Main Outcomes And MeasuresThe occurrence of emergence agitation defined by the following 2 individual criteria: a Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale score of at least 1 and a Riker Sedation-Agitation Scale score of at least 5 immediately after extubation.ResultsAmong the 80 patients included in the analysis (68.8% men [n = 55]; mean [SD] age, 41.6 [17.9] years), emergence agitation measured by the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale occurred in 8 of 40 patients (20.0%) in the VIMA group and 1 of 40 (2.5%) in the TIVA group. The risk difference was 17.5 (95% CI, 3.6-31.4). Emergence agitation measured by the Riker Sedation-Agitation Scale score occurred in 10 of 40 patients (25.0%) in the VIMA group and 1 of 40 (2.5%) in the TIVA group. The risk difference was 22.5 (95% CI, 7.3-37.7).Conclusions And RelevanceThe occurrence of emergence agitation after nasal surgery under general anesthesia can be significantly reduced by using TIVA rather than VIMA.Trial RegistrationCRIS identifier: KCT0002145.

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