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Monochromic light reduces emergence delirium in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy; a double-blind randomized

Adam C Adler1,2, Brian H Nathanson3, Arvind Chandrakantan4,5

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, 6621 Fannin Street, Houston, TX, USA. adam.adler@bcm.edu.

BMC Anesthesiology
|September 9, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Monochromatic blue light significantly reduced emergence delirium in children after anesthesia. This non-pharmacologic approach offers a safer alternative to sedatives for managing post-operative confusion and agitation.

Area of Science:

  • Anesthesiology
  • Pediatric Medicine
  • Ophthalmology

Background:

  • Emergence delirium (ED) is a common, distressing post-anesthesia complication in children, characterized by confusion and agitation.
  • Current treatments for ED involve sedatives, which can prolong recovery times.
  • ED can lead to self-injury and parental distress.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of monochromatic blue light (MBL) in reducing the incidence of emergence delirium in pediatric patients.
  • To assess the impact of MBL on Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scores.

Main Methods:

  • A double-blind, randomized controlled study involving 104 pediatric patients (ages 2-6) undergoing adenotonsillectomy.
  • Patients were randomized to receive either sham blue light or MBL for the initial 30 minutes of recovery.
  • Primary outcome was the incidence of ED; secondary outcomes included PAED scores.

Main Results:

  • The incidence of ED was significantly lower in the MBL group (5.9%) compared to the sham group (33.3%) (p=0.001).
  • MBL exposure resulted in a reduced adjusted relative risk of ED (0.18; 95% CI [0.06, 0.54]; p=0.001).
  • Fewer patients in the MBL group experienced ED or high PAED scores (23.5%) versus the sham group (52.9%) (p=0.002).

Conclusions:

  • Monochromatic blue light is an effective non-pharmacologic intervention for reducing emergence delirium in children.
  • MBL significantly decreases the incidence and severity of ED and associated PAED scores post-inhalational anesthesia.
  • This finding supports MBL as a safe and viable alternative to pharmacological interventions for pediatric post-anesthesia care.
Abstract

Keywords:
Blue lightDeliriumEmergenceMonochromatic lightPediatric

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