Reduced regional cerebral oxygen saturation increases risk for emergence delirium in pediatric patients

ObjectivesTo assess whether decreased regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2) is associated with the emergence delirium (ED) following general anesthesia in the pediatric population.MethodsA retrospective observational cohort study was conducted on 113 children (ASA I–III) aged 2–14 years who underwent selective surgery under general anesthesia between 2022-01 and 2022-04. Intraoperatively, the rScO2 was monitored using a cerebral oximeter. The Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) score was used to evaluate the patients for ED.ResultsThe incidence of ED was 31%. Low rScO2 was reported in 41.6% of patients, who had a higher incidence of ED (P