Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous Esketamine in Elderly Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy.
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE January 9, 2026 Tingjun Zhang, Shujuan Yan, Hui Wang et al.
In elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic prostate cancer surgery, adding intravenous esketamine to conventional anesthesia was associated with reduced need for other anesthetics (remifentanil, propofol, and muscle relaxants), better hemodynamic stability (higher heart rate and blood pressure just after intubation, lower values one hour into surgery), slightly longer awakening time but less agitation and severe coughing, shorter postanesthesia care unit stays, lower pain scores immediately and at 6 and 24 hours after surgery, higher scores on a mental status exam at 1 and 7 days postoperatively, and a lower incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction. The only adverse event that differed was more mild drowsiness in the esketamine group. The findings suggest esketamine may benefit recovery and cognitive outcomes in this population.