Abstract:Objective To compare the effects of oliceridine and sufentanil on sedation efficacy and safety during painless gastroscopy and colonoscopy.Methods A total of 150 patients who underwent painless gastroscopy and colonoscopy at Wuxi Fifth People's Hospital from August 2025 to December 2025 were selected and randomly divided into an experimental group (oliceridine anesthesia) and a control group (sufentanil anesthesia) at a 1:1 ratio, with 75 cases in each group. The two groups were compared in terms of sedation efficacy [Modified Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation (MOAA/S) score], propofol dosage, emergence time, discharge time from the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), pain status [Behavioral Pain Scale for Non-Intubated Patients (BPS-NI) score], cognitive function [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score], vital signs [mean arterial pressure (MAP), oxygen saturation (SpO2), heart rate (HR) ] at the time of entering the room (T0), loss of consciousness (T1), endoscope insertion (T2), end of examination (T3), and awakening (T4), recovery status on the first day after examination [Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) score], satisfaction rates of patients and endoscopists, and the incidence of adverse reactions.Results No statistically significant differences were found between the experimental group and the control group in MOAA/S scores, propofol dosage, emergence time, and BPS-NI scores according to t-tests (P 0.05). The discharge time from the PACU was shorter in the experimental group than in the control group (P 0.05). The MMSE score upon PACU discharge was higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P 0.05). At T1, SpO2 was higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P 0.05). In the QoR-15 scores at 24 hours post-examination, the experimental group showed higher scores for pain, physical independence, physical comfort, and total score compared to the control group (P 0.05), while the emotional state score was lower than that of the control group (P 0.05). The satisfaction rates of both patients and endoscopists were higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P 0.05). The incidences of intraoperative respiratory depression and postoperative nausea and vomiting were lower in the experimental group than in the control group (P 0.05).Conclusion The use of oliceridine in painless gastroscopy and colonoscopy can shorten the discharge time from the PACU, improve early postoperative cognitive function and overall quality of recovery, enhance satisfaction rates, and reduce adverse reactions, demonstrating good clinical application value.