Abstract:Objective To explore the effects of sub-anesthetic doses of esketamine on pulmonary dynamic compliance (Cdyn) and oxygenation index (OI) in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical surgery for colorectal cancer.Methods From May 2021 to July 2023, a total of 108 elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection for colorectal cancer in Cangzhou People's Hospital were selected. They were randomly assigned to the control group and the study group, each comprising 54 participants. The control group received standard anesthesia, while the study group additionally received a sub-anesthetic dose of esketamine. The systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, bispectral index (BIS), OI, and pulmonary Cdyn before anesthesia induction (T0), 10 minutes after tracheal intubation (T1), one hour after initiating CO2 pneumoperitoneum in the Trendelenburg position (T2), and at the end of surgery (T3) were compared between the two groups. The analgesic status, cognitive function, analgesic pump usage and the incidence of airway-related adverse events were recorded.Results The heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and BIS at T0, T1, T2, and T3 in the two groups were compared via repeated measures analysis of variance, and the results showed that they were different among the time points (F =14.193, 83.539, 49.394 and 71.834, all P < 0.05) and between the groups (F =55.721, 37.482, 55.283 and 38.947, all P < 0.05), and that the change trends of them were different between the groups (F =9.821, 16.372, 18.482 and 22.941, all P < 0.05). The OI and pulmonary Cdyn at T0, T1, T2, and T3 in the two groups were compared via repeated measures analysis of variance, and the results demonstrated that they were different among the time points (F =66.937 and 99.485, both P < 0.05) and between the groups (F =92.481 and 147.935, both P < 0.05), and that the change trends of them were different between the groups (F =38.481 and 59.395, both P < 0.05). The time to recovery of orientation, extubation time, and awakening time in the study group were shorter than those in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the length of hospital stay between the two groups of patients (P > 0.05). Comparison of VAS scores at rest between the study group and the control group 30 minutes, 2 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours after surgery via repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that the VAS scores were different among the time points (F =3.731, P < 0.05) and between the groups (F = 6.982, P < 0.05), where the VAS scores in the study group were higher than those in the control group, indicating better anesthetic effects in the study group. Besides, the change trends of VAS scores were also different between the two groups (F = 18.634, P < 0.05). The comparison of MMSE scores between the study group and the control group before surgery and 12 hours, 24 hours, and 2 days after surgery via repeated measures analysis of variance exhibited that they were different among the time points (F = 5.692, P < 0.05) and between the groups (F = 3.560, P < 0.05). The study group had higher postoperative MMSE scores and better recovery of relative cognitive function compared with the control group. The change trends of MMSE scores were also different between the two groups (F = 7.953, P < 0.05). The numbers of effective presses, ineffective presses, and total presses of the analgesic pump within 48 hours postoperatively were all lower in the study group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the overall incidence of adverse events between the two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusions Sub-anesthetic doses of esketamine significantly improves pulmonary Cdyn and OI in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection for colorectal cancer, accelerating postoperative recovery, enhancing pain management, and facilitating the rapid recovery of cognitive function.