Agitation during anaesthetic emergence: An observational study of adult cardiac surgery patients in two Australian intensive care units.

Background: Anaesthetic emergence agitation among adult patients being recovered after open cardiac and/or thoracic aorta surgery has not been described.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to characterise emergence agitation in terms of incidence, clinical features, and consequences in a cohort of cardiac surgery patients being recovered in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: A prospective, observational pilot study was implemented.

Anaesthetic emergence agitation after cardiac surgery: An intensive care staff survey.

Background: Anecdotal reports suggest that during emergence from anaesthesia, some post-cardiac surgery patients exhibit signs of agitation with concerning clinical features, including hypoxaemia, ventilation dysynchrony, and haemodynamic instability. This clinical phenomenon has not been described in the published literature.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the perceptions and practice of intensive care unit staff members who have managed adult patients after cardiac surgery regarding emergence agitation, its clinical features, and treatment.