title: Oral ketamine premedication can prevent emergence agitation in children after desflurane anaesthesia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of the present study was to determine whether oral ketamine premedication affected the incidence of emergence agitation in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty minutes before induction of anaesthesia, 80 children who were undergoing adenotonsillectomy with or without bilateral myringotomy and insertion of tubes received either ketamine 6 mg.kg(-1) per oral in group K or sour cherry juice alone in group C. Anaesthesia was maintained with desflurane. Emergence and recovery times were recorded. Tramadol was used for postoperative analgesia. Fentanyl (1 microg.kg(-1)) was administered for the treatment of emergence agitation or severe pain that still continued after tramadol administration. Postoperative behaviour was evaluated using a 5-point agitation scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of emergence agitation was 56% in group C, and 18% in group K (P = 0.001). There was no significant difference with respect to emergence times except from time to eye opening that was significantly longer in group K (P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral ketamine premedication reduced the incidence of postanaesthesia emergence agitation in children without delaying recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Dicle University Hospital, Diyarbakir, Turkey. akararmaz@ixir.com
authors.forename: Alper
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kararmaz
authors.forename: Sedat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Selim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Turhanoglu
authors.forename: Mehmet Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ozyilmaz
mesh_terms: D000233:Adenoidectomy; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000762:Anesthesia Recovery Period; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D000077335:Desflurane; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D007649:Ketamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy; D011229:Preanesthetic Medication; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014068:Tonsillectomy; D014147:Tramadol / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D014147:Tramadol; D007649:Ketamine; D000077335:Desflurane; D007530:Isoflurane