Comparison of the Effect of Different Administration Sequence of Propofol and Remifentanil on Sedation/Anesthesia During Gastroscopy in Obese Patients.

Purpose: Obesity is associated with an elevated risk of hypoxemia during endoscopic procedures performed under anesthesia. However, whether the sequence of drug administration - specifically the order of propofol and remifentanil - affects the incidence of hypoxemia remains unclear. This study was designed to evaluate whether a novel administration sequence, in which propofol precedes remifentanil, can decrease the incidence of hypoxemia in obese individuals during endoscopy. Patients and Methods: This prospective, single center, randomized controlled clinical trial recruited 296 obese patients scheduled for sedative/anesthesia gastroscopy prior to bariatric surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to either novel administration sequence with propofol-remifentanil (P-R) group or conventional administration of remifentanil-propofol (R-P) group. The primary outcome was the incidence of hypoxemia. Secondary outcomes included the lowest peripheral oxygen saturation (L-SpO Results: 284 patients were included in the analysis with 142 in each group. Hypoxemia occurred in 22 patients (15.5%) in the P-R group, and 42 patients (29.6%) in the R-P group (Relative Risk [RR], 1.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13 to 1.79; P = 0.007). The L-SpO Conclusion: Propofol first and followed by remifentanil administration sequence significantly decreased the incidence of hypoxemia and increased the L-SpO Clinical Trial Registration: ChiCTR2400084998.