Comparing the Effect of Ketamine and Lidocaine on Agitation and Pain in Rhinoplasty: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

[BACKGROUND] Emergence agitation (EA) is an important clinical problem that occurs during the initial period of recovery from anesthesia. This study aimed to determine the effects of ketamine and lidocaine administered on agitation level, postoperative pain, and hemodynamic changes in adults after rhinoplasty.

[MATERIALS AND METHODS] Totally 72 patients scheduled to undergo elective rhinoplasty were enrolled in this prospective study. Patients were randomly divided into three groups including control group ( = 24), ketamine group ( = 24), and lidocaine group ( = 24). Twenty minutes before surgery completion, 1 ml saline was administered intravenously to the saline group, while 0.5 mg/kg ketamine or 1.5 mg/kg lidocaine was administered to two other groups. The emergence agitation level of the patients was evaluated using the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale just after extubation and in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Postoperative pain was evaluated by Numerical Rating Scale that scored (from 0 to 10) every 10 min until the patients were discharged from PACU.

[RESULTS] There was a significant difference between EA level between ketamine ( = 0.049) and lidocaine ( = 0.019) groups compared to the control group, and there was a significant difference between pain level between the ketamine ( = 0.008) and lidocaine ( = 0.035) groups compared the to control group, while there was no significant difference between the level of agitation ( = 0.922) and level of pain ( = 0.845) after extubation between the ketamine and lidocaine groups.

[CONCLUSION] Ketamine and lidocaine are highly effective in preventing EA and pain control. Further studies with a greater sample size and longer follow-up period are needed to confirm the current findings.