Abstract

Background and aim: Preoperative anxiety and fear of separation from parents are some of the most important preoperative problems for children with deaf muteness. Here, the effect of intravenous administration of ketamine and midazolam was compared on sedation in children who candidates for choral cochlear implantation at the time of separation from parents. Patients and methods: This double-blind, prospective clinical study was performed on 74 children with deaf-muteness before cochlear implantation. Patients were randomly divided into two groups, midazolam (0.1 mg /kg) and ketamine (1 mg/kg). The sedation anxiety score scale (SASS) form was filled in to assess the anxiety and sedation status for each child. The children's relaxation score from recovery was assessed by the PACU sedation score scale (PACUSSS). Results: The average of the children's anxiety score after the injection of both drugs during the separation from their parents was 3, and there was no significant difference in the mean of SASS between the two groups (p>0.05). The mean PACU sedation score scale in both ketamine and midazolam groups was 1.08 +/- 0.89 and 1.32 +/- 1.01, respectively (p = 0.27). The mean of extubation and recovery times in the ketamine group were 10.44 +/- 4.47 and 30.27 +/- 6.87, respectively, while the mean extubation and recovery times in the midazolam group were 11.83 +/- 3.33 and 29.81 +/- 6.31 minutes, respectively. Conclusion: Both ketamine and midazolam caused equal sedation scores in children with deaf muteness at the time of separating from their parents.