British journal of anaesthesia
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Delayed emergence from general anaesthesia poses a significant perioperative safety hazard. Subanaesthetic doses of ketamine not only deepen anaesthesia but also accelerate recovery from isoflurane anaesthesia; however, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain elusive. Esketamine exhibits a more potent receptor affinity and fewer adverse effects than ketamine and exhibits shorter recovery times after brief periods of anaesthesia. As the paraventricular thalamus (PVT) plays a pivotal role in regulating wakefulness, we studied its role in the emergence process during combined esketamine and isoflurane anaesthesia. ⋯ Our results suggest that esketamine promotes recovery from isoflurane anaesthesia by activating PVTGlu neurones. This mechanism could explain the rapid arousability exhibited upon treatment with a low dose of esketamine.