Effects of Different Inspiratory:Expiratory Ratios on Respiratory and Recovery Outcomes During Dental Procedures Under General Anesthesia in Pediatric Patients

The recent study involves pediatric patients undergoing dental procedures under general anesthesia following routine and standard clinical protocols. No additional interventions beyond standard care will be applied.

Specifically for the study, a non-invasive, observational scoring system will be used during the emergence phase to assess respiratory quality without requiring any extra tests or procedures. The scoring includes observation of spontaneous breathing, accessory muscle use, airway patency, physical responses to painful stimuli, and coughing episodes.

Patients will receive the same anesthesia and dental treatment as those not included in the study. The study compares the effects of routine inspiratory:expiratory (I:E) ratios used during mechanical ventilation on respiratory and recovery outcomes.

Variables assessed include vital and respiratory parameters (heart rate, blood pressure, SpO₂, EtCO₂, respiratory rate, peak airway pressure, time to spontaneous breathing, and physical/hemodynamic responses during spontaneous breathing), respiratory quality post-extubation (evaluated via the study-specific scale), and recovery parameters (physical responses during airway suctioning/extubation, presence of bronchospasm/ laryngospasm, agitation levels measured preoperatively by Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale and postoperatively by the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium Scale (PAED), Modified Aldrete score, and discharge times from recovery and hospital wards).

All data will be recorded in a patient tracking form prepared for the study. Induction, maintenance, emergence from anesthesia, and management of any complications will follow routine clinical practice without any changes. No modifications to anesthesia or dental treatment protocols will be required for the study.

Inclusion criteria

• Pediatric patients scheduled for dental procedures under general anesthesia at our faculty.
• American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status I or II.
• Age between 2 and 12 years.
• Written informed consent obtained from parents or legal guardians.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients whose parents or legal guardians decline participation.
• Presence of adenoid hypertrophy >30%.
• Macroglossia or retrognathia.
• Severe obesity or developmental delay.
• History of delayed emergence from anesthesia.
• ASA Physical Status III or higher.
• Anesthesia duration less than 1 hour or more than 3 hours.
• Patients with difficult airway management or ventilation.
• Known pulmonary or airway diseases or anomalies.
• Use of pharmacological agents that may affect spontaneous respiratory quality.
• Presence of neuromuscular disorders affecting respiratory function.
• Age <2 years or >12 years.
• Administration of medications intraoperatively or preoperatively that may influence respiratory dynamics during emergence (e.g., atropine, lidocaine, steroids).