Abstract
PURPOSE: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) may be a critical risk factor for emergence agitation (EA). We hypothesized that SDB diagnosis is a predictor of EA in children after general anesthesia for ambulatory surgery. DESIGN: Prospective, observational, cohort study. METHODS: Children aged 4 to 17 years were assessed for the occurrence of EA. Differences in probability of EA were assessed using multivariable logistic regression analyses. FINDINGS: Of 1,076 children, 66 (6.1%) had EA. Compared with those without EA, children with EA were younger (P < .001), more likely to have had mask induction (P < .001) and a preoperative diagnosis of SDB (P = .008). On multivariable analysis, SDB, severe obesity, decreasing age in years, increasing first arousal pain score, and intraoperative use of sevoflurane were independently associated with EA. CONCLUSIONS: SDB and severe obesity may be critical independent predictors of EA in children. Mechanisms underlying these observations deserve further elucidation.