Trial reportDrug design, development and therapy2026
Effect of Sub-Anesthetic Dose Esketamine on Oculocardiac Reflex in Children Undergoing Day-Case Strabismus Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in Drug design, development and therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Purpose: The oculocardiac reflex (OCR) is a frequent and potentially hazardous complication during pediatric strabismus surgery. Achieving hemodynamic stability while ensuring rapid recovery is critical in day-case anesthesia. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a sub-anesthetic dose of esketamine in reducing the incidence of OCR in children undergoing day-case strabismus surgery under total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA). Patients and Methods: This prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 204 children (aged 2-12 years, ASA I-II) scheduled for elective strabismus surgery. Patients were randomized (1:1) to receive either intravenous esketamine (0.2 mg/kg) or an equal volume of normal saline following laryngeal mask airway insertion. All patients received standardized TIVA with propofol and remifentanil. The primary outcome was the overall incidence of OCR (defined as a heart rate decrease >20% from baseline or arrhythmia upon muscle traction). Secondary outcomes included OCR incidence during three distinct surgical stages: Stage I (conjunctival incision), Stage II (active muscle mobilization and dissection), and Stage III (static sustained muscle traction), as well as severe OCR (<50 bpm), and postoperative recovery quality. Results: The overall incidence of OCR was significantly lower in the esketamine group compared to the control group (38.2% vs 70.6%; P < 0.05). Heart rates dynamics varied by stage, with the highest OCR incidence occurring during Stage II (37.3% vs 70.6%; P <0.05) compared to Stage III (1.0% vs 6.9%; P =0.071) in both groups. Heart rates in the esketamine group were significantly higher during conjunctival incision (Stage I) and muscle dissection (Stage II) (P < 0.001). For both groups, Stage II was associated with the highest incidence of OCR. Although the incidence of severe OCR was lower in the esketamine group (2.9% vs 8.8%), the difference was not statistically significant. There were no significant differences between groups regarding postoperative nausea and vomiting, emergence agitation, or time to discharge. Conclusion: A single sub-anesthetic dose of esketamine (0.2 mg/kg) effectively reduces the incidence of OCR and enhances hemodynamic stability in children undergoing day-case strabismus surgery. This regimen provides a safe prophylactic strategy without compromising recovery quality or increasing postoperative adverse events.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.