Effect of a Repeated Verbal Reminder of Orientation on Emergence Agitation After General Anesthesia

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the effect of repeated verbal orientation reminders on emergence agitation in adult patients aged 18 to 70 years undergoing elective laparoscopic abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. The study aims to compare patients receiving these repeated reminders with those receiving usual care to see if the reminders reduce the frequency of emergence agitation and improve recovery after surgery. The trial is being conducted at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital in Lahore and is registered with a clinical trials registry. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: the orientation group, which receives prerecorded voice reminders through headphones during emergence from anesthesia, or the control group, which only hears their own names and instructions to open their eyes. Anesthesia is induced and maintained with standard medications including propofol, fentanyl, atracurium, and sevoflurane. The orientation reminders are played every five seconds starting when anesthesia depth decreases, continuing until eye opening. The control group receives no additional verbal stimulation. Participants will be assessed using the Riker Sedation Agitation Scale to evaluate emergence agitation every five minutes from anesthesia lightening until discharge from the operating room. Researchers will measure the incidence of emergence agitation as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include timing of eye opening, extubation, discharge to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), pain scores, and length of stay in PACU. Standard monitoring and assessments will be performed throughout, and the total study duration lasts until all patients are recruited and evaluated.

Effect of a Repeated Verbal Reminder of Orientation on Emergence Agitation After General Anesthesia