Effects of propofol combined with sufentanil on painless gastroscopy and hemodynamics in children under general anesthesia

Objective: To determine the effects of propofol combined with sufentanil on painless gastroscopy and hemodynamics in children under general anesthesia. Methods: The data of 98 children who received painless gastroscopy in the Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from May 2022 and November 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients anesthetized with propofol (1.5-2 mg/kg) combined with sufentanil (0.03-0.05 mu g/kg) were assigned to a study group (n=52), and patients anesthetized with propofol (1.5-2 mg/kg) combined with fentanyl (0.3-0.5 mu g/kg) were included in a control group (n=46). The changes in hemodynamic levels (mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2) at T0 (before anesthesia), T1 (1 min after anesthesia induction), T2 (start of examination), T3 (2 min after the start of examination), and T4 (end of examination) in the two groups were analyzed and compared. The Ramsay sedation score was adopted to evaluate the sedation of the two groups at the anesthesia recovery and at 1 h and 2 h after the anesthesia recovery. The anesthetic effects (time to loss of consciousness, eye opening, and recovery of orientations) of the two groups were analyzed and compared. The excellent and good anesthesia outcomes, hospitalization time and dosage of propofol were compared between the two groups, and the adverse reactions in the two groups during and after the examination were analyzed. Results: At T0, the two groups were not significantly different in the levels of MAP, HR and SpO2 (P>0.05), but at T1, T2, T3, and T4, the study group showed a significantly higher MAP level than the control group (P<0.05). At T1 and T3, the study group exhibited a significantly higher HR level than the control group (P<0.05), and at T2 and T4, the HR level of the two groups was not greatly different (P>0.05). The SpO2 levels at T0, T1, T2, T3, and T4 were not greatly different between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in Ramsay score between the two groups at anesthesia recovery and at 1 h and 2 h after the anesthesia recovery (P>0.05). Additionally, the study group experienced significantly earlier time to loss of consciousness, eye opening, and recovery of orientations than the control group (P<0.05). The number of patients with excellent anesthetic outcome in the study group was notably higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the study group consumed less propofol, experienced shorter hospitalization time, and showed a notably lower incidence of adverse reactions (P<0.05). Conclusion: For children undergoing painless gastroscopy under general anesthesia, sufentanil combined with propofol can deliver better anesthetic effect than propofol combined with fentanyl, with less effect on hemodynamics and fewer gastroscopy-related adverse reactions.