Abstract:Objective To explore the anesthetic effects of remimazolam combined with esketamine in children undergoing tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy, and its influences on vital signs, emergence agitation and anesthesia-related adverse reactions.Methods A total of 106 children who underwent tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy at our hospital from October 2024 to October 2025 were selected. They were randomly divided into the control group (propofol plus sufentanil, n = 53) and the observation group (remimazolam plus esketamine, n = 53) via the random number table. The anesthetic outcomes, including anesthesia duration, spontaneous respiration recovery time, extubation time, awakening time, and post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) stay, were compared between the two groups. Vital signs, including mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR), were recorded at different time points. Emergence agitation was evaluated using the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) score immediately after awakening and at 5, 10, and 20 minutes after awakening. The incidence of adverse events during anesthesia was also compared between the two groups.Results The observation group had significantly shorter anesthesia duration, extubation time, awakening time, and PACU stay than the control group (all P < 0.05). Comparisons of MAP and HR between the observation and control groups at 5 min before anesthesia, at intubation, 5 min after intubation, and at extubation showed that MAP and HR differed significantly across time points (P < 0.05) and between the two groups (P < 0.05), and that the trends of MAP and HR changes over time differed significantly between the two groups (P < 0.05). PAED scores at all assessed time points during emergence were significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05), indicating less severe emergence agitation. The overall incidence of adverse events was significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05).Conclusion Remimazolam combined with esketamine for pediatric tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy can shorten recovery from anesthesia, maintain perioperative hemodynamic stability, alleviate emergence agitation, and reduce the risk of adverse events. This regimen demonstrates superior safety and efficacy compared with propofol combined with sufentanil.