Abstract:Objective To investigate the anesthetic efficacy, safety, and emotional impact of esketamine-propofol target-controlled infusion in painless induced abortion.Methods Eighty patients who underwent painless induced abortion at Meizhou People's Hospital from June 2025 to November 2025 were selected and randomly divided into an esketamine group and a sufentanil group by envelope drawing, with 40 patients in each group. The esketamine group received esketamine 0.3 mg/kg combined with propofol target-controlled infusion at 3 μg/mL, while the sufentanil group received sufentanil 0.1 μg/kg combined with propofol target-controlled infusion at 3 μg/mL. Hemodynamic and respiratory parameters, bispectral index (BIS), and Modified Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation (MOAA/S) scores were compared between the two groups at different time points: T0 (before anesthesia induction, baseline), T1 (during cervical dilation with surgical instruments), T2 (during intrauterine negative-pressure suction and curettage), and T3 (5 min after the end of surgery). Recovery time, awakening time, discharge time, and visual analogue scale (VAS) score at 30 min after surgery were recorded. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were used to evaluate emotional status before surgery and 24 h after surgery. Adverse reactions were also observed.Results There were statistically significant differences in mean arterial pressure (MAP), oxygen saturation (SpO2), BIS, and MOAA/S scores at T0, T1, T2, and T3 between the two groups (P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed in heart rate (HR) across different time points (P > 0.05). MAP, HR, SpO2, and BIS differed significantly between the two groups (P < 0.05), with higher MAP, HR, SpO2, and BIS values in the esketamine group. No significant difference was found in MOAA/S scores between the two groups (P > 0.05). The trends of MAP, HR, and SpO2 differed significantly between the two groups (P < 0.05), whereas the trends of BIS and MOAA/S scores showed no significant differences (P > 0.05). Recovery time, awakening time, and discharge time were shorter in the esketamine group than in the sufentanil group, while the VAS score at 30 min after surgery was higher in the esketamine group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in preoperative SAS or SDS scores between the two groups (P > 0.05). At 24 h after surgery, SAS and SDS scores were lower in the esketamine group than in the sufentanil group (P < 0.05), and the differences between preoperative and postoperative 24 h SAS and SDS scores were greater in the esketamine group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the incidences of intraoperative body movement, dizziness, or psychiatric symptoms between the two groups (P > 0.05). The incidences of propofol injection pain, respiratory depression, postoperative nausea and vomiting, and overall adverse reactions were lower in the esketamine group than in the sufentanil group (P < 0.05), while the incidence of salivation was higher in the esketamine group (P < 0.05).Conclusion Esketamine-propofol target-controlled infusion for painless induced abortion can maintain a comparable depth of anesthesia while providing more stable intraoperative vital signs, reducing the incidence of respiratory depression, and exerting rapid anxiolytic and antidepressant effects. Although its early postoperative analgesic effect is weaker than that of the sufentanil regimen and it is associated with certain risks of salivation and psychiatric symptoms, its overall clinical value is superior to that of the conventional sufentanil regimen, making it an optimized anesthetic strategy worthy of clinical promotion.