Does the combination of cartoon stickers and fruit juices reduce premedication anxiety in preschool children?-a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Perioperative anxiety affects 40-75% of children undergoing surgery, risking complications. Midazolam (0.5 mg/kg) is commonly used but poorly tolerated due to bitterness. This study aimed to determine whether a combination of favorite carton stickers and fruit juices could reduce premedication anxiety in preschool children scheduled for elective surgery. Methods: One hundred and fifty-five healthy children, aged 3-6 years, assigned to elective surgery were randomized to one of four groups: Group A, control group (premedication with traditional midazolam monosaccharide syrup mixtures); Group B, cartoon stickers before traditional premedication; Group C, fruit juices midazolam mixtures premedication and Group D, cartoon stickers and premedication with midazolam fruit juices mixtures. All groups routinely received sedative premedication (oral midazolam, 0.5 mg/kg) before anesthesia induction. The modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale-Short Form (mYPAS-SF) was used to evaluate the anxiety of each child in the following time points: T Results: There was no significant difference in mYPAS-SF scores among the four groups at T Conclusions: Cartoon stickers for reducing premedication anxiety were effective, besides, the combination of cartoon stickers and fruit juices was found to be an effective tool to reduce premedication anxiety in preschool children undergoing elective surgery. Trial Registration: ChiCTR2200066644 (registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, www.chictr.org.cn).