Comparing benzodiazepine-ketamine and benzodiazepine-fentanyl sedation in phacoemulsification: A double-blind crossover non-inferiority clinical trial (BEKEF study)

Background: Topical anesthesia for cataract surgery often requires adjunctive sedation to manage intraoperative discomfort and improve patient cooperation. Ketamine and fentanyl, combined with benzodiazepines, are commonly used sedation regimens, but their comparative safety and efficacy in the cata...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Adriano Cypriano Faneli, Ricardo Danilo Chagas Oliveira, Pablo Amado, Eduardo F. Marback, Rodrigo Amaral Torres, Juliana Fernandes Marback, Larrie Laporte, Caio Vinicius Saito Regatieri, Cristina Muccioli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Advances in Ophthalmology Practice and Research
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667376225000162
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849226859658608640
author Adriano Cypriano Faneli
Ricardo Danilo Chagas Oliveira
Pablo Amado
Eduardo F. Marback
Rodrigo Amaral Torres
Juliana Fernandes Marback
Larrie Laporte
Caio Vinicius Saito Regatieri
Cristina Muccioli
author_facet Adriano Cypriano Faneli
Ricardo Danilo Chagas Oliveira
Pablo Amado
Eduardo F. Marback
Rodrigo Amaral Torres
Juliana Fernandes Marback
Larrie Laporte
Caio Vinicius Saito Regatieri
Cristina Muccioli
author_sort Adriano Cypriano Faneli
collection DOAJ
description Background: Topical anesthesia for cataract surgery often requires adjunctive sedation to manage intraoperative discomfort and improve patient cooperation. Ketamine and fentanyl, combined with benzodiazepines, are commonly used sedation regimens, but their comparative safety and efficacy in the cataract surgery context remain underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate whether ketamine combined with midazolam is non-inferior to fentanyl combined with midazolam for sedation during phacoemulsification, with a non-inferiority margin of 10%. Methods: This prospective, double-blind, crossover, non-inferiority trial randomized 75 patients to receive both sedation regimens for bilateral phacoemulsification. A 15-day washout period was implemented between surgeries. Adequate sedation was defined as a Ramsay Sedation Scale score of 2–3. The primary outcome was sedation adequacy, with secondary outcomes including patient and surgeon satisfaction, surgical metrics, and complications. Results: Of the 75 randomized patients, 65 (130 eyes) completed the study. Adequate sedation was achieved in 86.2% of cases with ketamine and 89.2% with fentanyl, with a within-participant difference of 3.1% (95%CI: −2.3%–5.3%), confirming non-inferiority. Patient satisfaction scores were similarly high between regimens (ketamine: 4.87 ​± ​0.36; fentanyl: 4.91 ​± ​0.28; P ​= ​0.45). Complications were infrequent, with two cases of nausea and two of bradycardia in the fentanyl group and one case of nausea and two of hypertension in the ketamine group. Conclusions: Ketamine combined with midazolam is a safe and effective alternative to fentanyl-based sedation for cataract surgery, providing comparable sedation quality and satisfaction. These findings support ketamine's use in cataract surgery.
format Article
id doaj-art-54e31a6fe93a407eb694fa62fcc693ec
institution Kabale University
issn 2667-3762
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Advances in Ophthalmology Practice and Research
spelling doaj-art-54e31a6fe93a407eb694fa62fcc693ec2025-08-24T05:15:02ZengElsevierAdvances in Ophthalmology Practice and Research2667-37622025-08-015317517910.1016/j.aopr.2025.04.001Comparing benzodiazepine-ketamine and benzodiazepine-fentanyl sedation in phacoemulsification: A double-blind crossover non-inferiority clinical trial (BEKEF study)Adriano Cypriano Faneli0Ricardo Danilo Chagas Oliveira1Pablo Amado2Eduardo F. Marback3Rodrigo Amaral Torres4Juliana Fernandes Marback5Larrie Laporte6Caio Vinicius Saito Regatieri7Cristina Muccioli8Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Salvador, Brazil; Corresponding author.HOBrasil, Salvador, Brazil; Federal University of Bahia, Ophthalmology Department, Salvador, BrazilHOBrasil, Salvador, BrazilHOBrasil, Salvador, Brazil; Federal University of Bahia, Ophthalmology Department, Salvador, BrazilHOBrasil, Salvador, Brazil; Federal University of Bahia, Ophthalmology Department, Salvador, BrazilBahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Salvador, BrazilBahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Salvador, BrazilFederal University of São Paulo, Ophthalmology Department, São Paulo, BrazilFederal University of São Paulo, Ophthalmology Department, São Paulo, BrazilBackground: Topical anesthesia for cataract surgery often requires adjunctive sedation to manage intraoperative discomfort and improve patient cooperation. Ketamine and fentanyl, combined with benzodiazepines, are commonly used sedation regimens, but their comparative safety and efficacy in the cataract surgery context remain underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate whether ketamine combined with midazolam is non-inferior to fentanyl combined with midazolam for sedation during phacoemulsification, with a non-inferiority margin of 10%. Methods: This prospective, double-blind, crossover, non-inferiority trial randomized 75 patients to receive both sedation regimens for bilateral phacoemulsification. A 15-day washout period was implemented between surgeries. Adequate sedation was defined as a Ramsay Sedation Scale score of 2–3. The primary outcome was sedation adequacy, with secondary outcomes including patient and surgeon satisfaction, surgical metrics, and complications. Results: Of the 75 randomized patients, 65 (130 eyes) completed the study. Adequate sedation was achieved in 86.2% of cases with ketamine and 89.2% with fentanyl, with a within-participant difference of 3.1% (95%CI: −2.3%–5.3%), confirming non-inferiority. Patient satisfaction scores were similarly high between regimens (ketamine: 4.87 ​± ​0.36; fentanyl: 4.91 ​± ​0.28; P ​= ​0.45). Complications were infrequent, with two cases of nausea and two of bradycardia in the fentanyl group and one case of nausea and two of hypertension in the ketamine group. Conclusions: Ketamine combined with midazolam is a safe and effective alternative to fentanyl-based sedation for cataract surgery, providing comparable sedation quality and satisfaction. These findings support ketamine's use in cataract surgery.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667376225000162Cataract surgerySedationKetamineFentanylPhacoemulsification
spellingShingle Adriano Cypriano Faneli
Ricardo Danilo Chagas Oliveira
Pablo Amado
Eduardo F. Marback
Rodrigo Amaral Torres
Juliana Fernandes Marback
Larrie Laporte
Caio Vinicius Saito Regatieri
Cristina Muccioli
Comparing benzodiazepine-ketamine and benzodiazepine-fentanyl sedation in phacoemulsification: A double-blind crossover non-inferiority clinical trial (BEKEF study)
Advances in Ophthalmology Practice and Research
Cataract surgery
Sedation
Ketamine
Fentanyl
Phacoemulsification
title Comparing benzodiazepine-ketamine and benzodiazepine-fentanyl sedation in phacoemulsification: A double-blind crossover non-inferiority clinical trial (BEKEF study)
title_full Comparing benzodiazepine-ketamine and benzodiazepine-fentanyl sedation in phacoemulsification: A double-blind crossover non-inferiority clinical trial (BEKEF study)
title_fullStr Comparing benzodiazepine-ketamine and benzodiazepine-fentanyl sedation in phacoemulsification: A double-blind crossover non-inferiority clinical trial (BEKEF study)
title_full_unstemmed Comparing benzodiazepine-ketamine and benzodiazepine-fentanyl sedation in phacoemulsification: A double-blind crossover non-inferiority clinical trial (BEKEF study)
title_short Comparing benzodiazepine-ketamine and benzodiazepine-fentanyl sedation in phacoemulsification: A double-blind crossover non-inferiority clinical trial (BEKEF study)
title_sort comparing benzodiazepine ketamine and benzodiazepine fentanyl sedation in phacoemulsification a double blind crossover non inferiority clinical trial bekef study
topic Cataract surgery
Sedation
Ketamine
Fentanyl
Phacoemulsification
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667376225000162
work_keys_str_mv AT adrianocyprianofaneli comparingbenzodiazepineketamineandbenzodiazepinefentanylsedationinphacoemulsificationadoubleblindcrossovernoninferiorityclinicaltrialbekefstudy
AT ricardodanilochagasoliveira comparingbenzodiazepineketamineandbenzodiazepinefentanylsedationinphacoemulsificationadoubleblindcrossovernoninferiorityclinicaltrialbekefstudy
AT pabloamado comparingbenzodiazepineketamineandbenzodiazepinefentanylsedationinphacoemulsificationadoubleblindcrossovernoninferiorityclinicaltrialbekefstudy
AT eduardofmarback comparingbenzodiazepineketamineandbenzodiazepinefentanylsedationinphacoemulsificationadoubleblindcrossovernoninferiorityclinicaltrialbekefstudy
AT rodrigoamaraltorres comparingbenzodiazepineketamineandbenzodiazepinefentanylsedationinphacoemulsificationadoubleblindcrossovernoninferiorityclinicaltrialbekefstudy
AT julianafernandesmarback comparingbenzodiazepineketamineandbenzodiazepinefentanylsedationinphacoemulsificationadoubleblindcrossovernoninferiorityclinicaltrialbekefstudy
AT larrielaporte comparingbenzodiazepineketamineandbenzodiazepinefentanylsedationinphacoemulsificationadoubleblindcrossovernoninferiorityclinicaltrialbekefstudy
AT caioviniciussaitoregatieri comparingbenzodiazepineketamineandbenzodiazepinefentanylsedationinphacoemulsificationadoubleblindcrossovernoninferiorityclinicaltrialbekefstudy
AT cristinamuccioli comparingbenzodiazepineketamineandbenzodiazepinefentanylsedationinphacoemulsificationadoubleblindcrossovernoninferiorityclinicaltrialbekefstudy