Abstract:Objective To investigate the application effects of different doses of esketamine combined with dexmedetomidine in elderly patients with hip fracture.Methods A total of 120 elderly patients with hip fracture admitted to Huaian No. 82 Hospital from January 2025 to June 2025 were selected and randomly divided into three groups by envelope drawing method: a control group (n = 40, receiving intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion), a low-dose group (n = 41, receiving low-dose esketamine combined with dexmedetomidine), and a high-dose group (n = 39, receiving high-dose esketamine combined with dexmedetomidine). The analgesic effect [assessed by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) ], sleep quality [assessed by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) ], inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-10 (IL-10) ], hemodynamic parameters [mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) ] at the beginning of surgery (T1), 30 minutes after the start of surgery (T2), and the end of surgery (T3), and adverse reactions were compared among the three groups.Results At 2 hours postoperatively, the VAS score of the low-dose group was lower than those of the high-dose group and the control group, and the score of the high-dose group was lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). At 12 hours postoperatively, the VAS scores of the low-dose group and the high-dose group were lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). At 1 and 3 days postoperatively, the PSQI and ISI scores of the low-dose group were lower than those of the high-dose group and the control group, and the scores of the high-dose group were lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). At 24 hours postoperatively, the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10 in the low-dose group were lower than those in the control group and the high-dose group, and the levels in the high-dose group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The MAP of the low-dose group at T1, T2, and T3 was higher than that of the control group and the high-dose group (P < 0.05). The MAP of the high-dose group at T3 was higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The HR of the high-dose group at T1 and T2 was higher than that of the control group and the low-dose group (P < 0.05). The HR of the low-dose group at T1, T2, and T3 was higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The total incidence of adverse reactions in the high-dose group was higher than that in the low-dose group and the control group (P < 0.05).Conclusion The regimen of low-dose esketamine combined with dexmedetomidine is more in line with the physiological characteristics of elderly patients with hip fracture, contributing to improved perioperative safety and postoperative recovery.