Emergence delirium is related to the invasiveness of strabismus surgery in preschool-age children

Objectives To investigate the correlation between preoperative anxiety and emergence delirium (ED), and to identify other factors that contribute to ED (such as invasiveness of surgery), in preschool-age paediatric patients undergoing strabismus surgery.Methods This prospective observational study enrolled Korean children (aged 2–5 years), scheduled for strabismus surgery. After completing the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale, general anaesthesia was induced. Postoperatively, Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scores (used as an index of the degree of ED) and a four-point delirium scale (ED incidence), were collected and measured every 5 min. Patients were categorized according to the degree of surgical invasiveness: group U-S, single-muscle correction in a unilateral eye; group U-M, multiple-muscle correction in a unilateral eye; group B-S, single-muscle correction in bilateral eyes; group B-M, multiple-muscle correction in bilateral eyes.Results A total of 90 paediatric patients participated in the study. Maximum PAED scores did not correlate with the presence of preoperative anxiety. The maximum PAED score of group B-M was significantly higher than scores observed in other groups.Conclusions Preoperative anxiety was not related to ED in preschool-age paediatric patients undergoing strabismus surgery. The incidence and severity of ED was higher in patients who underwent more complicated strabismus surgery, compared with those undergoing simpler procedures.