Management of Preoperative Anxiety in Children: Could a Lollipop Be the Solution?

Participants were randomized into two groups to receive either intranasal midazolam at 0.3 mg/kg (group M) or distraction using a lollipop (group L) 15 minutes before entering the operating room. The anesthetic technique was standardized: a peripheral intravenous line, intravenous induction (propofol and fentanyl), airway management with an age-appropriate IGEL mask, and maintenance with sevoflurane. Anxiety was assessed using the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) before and after premedication. The investigators also evaluate the level of sedation upon entering the operating room, the quality of parent separation, acceptance of the facemask during induction, and emergence of agitation using the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium Scale (PAEDS).