ABSTRACT
Objective To compare the safety and effectiveness of Propofol-Fentanyl and Propofol-Remifentanil total intravenous anesthesia for airway foreign body (FB) removal in children. Method 280 children aged 1 ~ 3 years underwent rigid bronchoscopy for FB removal were randomized into two groups. The Fentanyl group (Group F, n = 140) were given Propofol 2.00~3.00 mg/kg and Fentanyl 2.00 μg/kg for induction and Propofol 200.00 ~ 500.00 μg/(kg·min) for maintenance of anesthesia. The Remifentanil group (Group R, n = 140) were given Propofol 2.00 ~ 3.00 mg/kg and Remifentanil 1.00 ~ 1.50 μg/kg for induction of anesthesia, while anesthesia was maintained with Propofol 200.00 ~ 500.00 μg/(kg·min) and Remifentanil 0.10 ~ 0.20 μg/(kg·min). All the children during the procedure were with spontaneous respiration. SpO2 before inserting rigid bronchoscope (T1), 1 min (T2) and 3 min (T3) after insertion, 3 min (T4) and 10 min (T5) after extraction were recorded. PETCO2 after endoscopy (T6) was measured. Adverse events, including body movement, cough, breath-holding, and hypoxemia,were observed. The time of induction, surgery, recovery and the total dosage of the intravenous agents were recorded. Results SpO2 of the two groups were in normal range at T1 ~ 5, which was higher in group R than group F at T2 ~ 5 (P < 0.05). PETCO2 of group R was lower than group F at T6 (P < 0.05). The rate of body movement and cough were comparable between the two groups (P > 0.05), while breath-holding and hypoxemia were more frequent in group F (P < 0.05). The time of induction and recovery were shorter in group R (P < 0.05), while surgery time and the Propofol dosage were similar (P > 0.05). The total dose of Fentanyl was significantly higher than Remifentanil (P < 0.05). Conclusion Combination of Propofol with Fentanyl or Remifentanil both produce effective anesthesia in children undergoing FB removal. But Propofol-Remifentanil provides more stable oxygen saturation, faster induction and recurrence of anesthesia, as well as less intraoperative complications.