Desflurane, halothane, isoflurane, propofol, and sevoflurane are widely used anesthetics in pediatric anesthesia. Adverse effect including emergence agitation, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and postoperative pain are common. Prolonged extubation time and emergency time are also troubling anesthesiologists. Previous studies have noted the characteristics of various anesthetics in pediatric anesthesia, while the results were inconclusive and conflicting. In this study, we aimed at performing a comprehensive network meta-analysis concerning the emergence and recovery characteristics of pediatric anesthetics. Relevant articles were retrieved and selected according to our inclusion criteria. Network meta-analysis was performed with a random-effect model within a Bayesian framework. ORs and corresponding 95 % credible intervals were calculated by Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. Node-splitting method was used to calculate the inconsistency. Rank probabilities were assessed by the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). Propofol was recommended as the most efficient and safe anesthetic in pediatric anesthesia with few adverse effects. Desflurane has the highest incidence of emergence agitation and worst recovery characteristics. Halothane was regarded as an efficient anesthetic with the best recovery characteristics, while postoperative nausea and vomiting is a common adverse effect. Isoflurane was reported to be the safest concerning postoperative pain, and cases using sevoflurane in pediatric anesthesia reported the highest incidence of analgesic requirement. Our network meta-analysis demonstrated that propofol was suggested as the first choice in the clinical practice for its efficiency and safe in pediatric anesthesia.
Keywords: Adverse effect; Anesthesiology; Pediatric anesthesiology; Pharmacology.