Esketamine with propofol was linked to fewer sedation complications
A pooled analysis favored the combination for several complications, while recovery time and some other outcomes showed no significant differences.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Across the included studies, esketamine combined with propofol was associated with fewer episodes of low blood pressure, slow heart rate, respiratory depression, and injection pain than alternative regimens. Propofol use was also lower. Recovery time, nausea, vomiting, and fast heart rate did not differ significantly; these findings do not establish equivalence for those outcomes.
The abstract does not identify the comparator regimens, observation periods, or included study designs. It also omits baseline event rates, limiting interpretation of absolute benefit and applicability to a particular procedure.
What researchers found
Low blood pressure
Esketamine plus propofol had an estimated 0.40 times the risk with alternative regimens. This risk ratio is relative, not an absolute percentage-point reduction; the confidence interval expresses uncertainty around it. Observation timeframe was not reported.
The question concerned procedural care
The review compared medication combinations used for sedation and pain relief during invasive procedures. It examined complications, medication use, and recovery, so its findings concern this clinical setting and cannot establish benefits for unrelated uses.
Relative risk needs an absolute context
The pooled estimate favors the combination for low blood pressure. However, this abstract-based account cannot say how many patients would avoid that complication because the abstract does not report its frequency in the comparison groups.
The original publication
Evaluating the combination of esketamine and propofol in procedural analgesia/sedation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Kumar A, Ahmad M, Nadeem MS et al.
Minerva Anestesiol · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40873192
- Record checked
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