Propofol vs. Nasal Dexmedetomidine in Pediatric Agitation and Delirium

July 6, 2026 updated by: Ahmed Uslu, Baskent University Ankara Hospital

Comparison of the Use of Propofol and Nasal Dexmedetomidine in the Management of Agitation and Delirium in Patients Undergoing Dental Procedures

Dental pain and anxiety are quite common in pediatric patients. However, due to children's inability to express their fears and lack of knowledge about the procedures to be performed, these symptoms have often been misunderstood and inadequately treated in pediatric settings. Children have consistently experienced high rates of emergence anxiety during the recovery process after general anesthesia. Emergence anxiety can be harmful to the patient, leading to bleeding at the surgical site, displacement of intravenous catheters, parental anxiety, additional care needs, and delays in hospital discharge. Inhalation anesthetics are preferred for pediatric surgeries because they promote faster recovery. However, inhalation anesthetics often lead to a high rate of emergence anxiety, ranging from 25% to 80% depending on the scoring scale used, the child's age, and the type of surgery performed. Additional sedative or analgesic drugs, such as midazolam, dexmedetomidine, or propofol, have been used to prevent emergence anxiety.

Dexmedetomidine is a selective α2-agonist with sedative and analgesic effects, but it can cause mild respiratory depression. Numerous studies have shown that intranasal dexmedetomidine is more effective than other adjunctive drugs. It has been found to be beneficial in reducing emergence anxiety during pediatric anesthesia with minimal blood pressure or respiratory depression. However, although intranasal dexmedetomidine initially has relatively rapid absorption, the absorption process may take longer compared to intravenous administration, implying that the child's hemodynamic status is more stable and a longer effective absorption time may have a clinical advantage in preventing emergence anxiety.

The aim of this study is to compare and investigate the effectiveness of nasal dexmedetomidine and intravenous propofol applications used to reduce agitation in pediatric cases following extubation in clinical practice.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
162

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • ASA 1-2

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cardiac disease,
  • Psychiatric disease,
  • Coronary artery disease,
  • Long-term sedative drug use,
  • Pulmonary disease,
  • Known allergy to planned drugs

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Group Dex
Group Dex received 1 mcg/kg of dexmedetomidine intra-nasal 10 minutes before the surgical procedure ended.
Drug: Dexmedetomidine
Group Dex received 1 mcg/kg of dexmedetomidine intra-nasal 10 minutes before the surgical procedure ended.
Experimental: Group Pofol
Group Pofol received 1 mg/kg propofol IV before the extubation.
Drug: Propofol
Group Pofol received 1 mg/kg propofol IV before the extubation.
Experimental: Group PoDex
Group PoDex received 0.5 mcg/kg of dexmedetomidine intra-nasal 10 minutes before the surgical procedure ended and 0.5 mg/kg propofol IV before the extubation.
Drug: Dexmedetomidine
Group Dex received 1 mcg/kg of dexmedetomidine intra-nasal 10 minutes before the surgical procedure ended.
Drug: Propofol
Group Pofol received 1 mg/kg propofol IV before the extubation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Agitation-Delirium
Time Frame: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. minutes after extubation.
It will be evaluated with a Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium Scale.
0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. minutes after extubation.
Behavioral pain assessment
Time Frame: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. minutes after extubation.
It will be evaluated with a The Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability Scale.
0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. minutes after extubation.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Nausea-vomiting
Time Frame: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. minutes after extubation.
It will be evaluated by visual analogue scale.
0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. minutes after extubation.
Rapid recovery
Time Frame: 30 minutes after extubation.
It will be evaluated with a Modified Aldrete Score.
30 minutes after extubation.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Baskent University Ankara Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 30, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 14, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 14, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 20, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 6, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • PedSed

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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