The Effects of Preoperative Intranasal Administration of Dexmedetomidine and Esketamine on Negative Postoperative Behavioral Changes in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Recruiting now · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Autism Spectrum Disorder

In brief

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether intranasal sedation given before anesthesia can lower negative postoperative behavioral changes in children with autism spectrum disorder who undergo elective surgery. The study will compare two commonly used sedative medicines with a saline control. It will also examine the safety of these medicines and explore how brain electrical activity during recovery may relate to later behavior changes. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Does intranasal dexmedetomidine given before anesthesia lower negative postoperative behavioral changes seven days after surgery in children with autism spectrum disorder? * Does intranasal esketamine given before anesthesia lower negative postoperative behavioral changes seven days after surgery in children with autism spectrum disorder? * Are there differences in postoperative agitation, pain, and sedation quality among the three groups? Researchers will compare dexmedetomidine, esketamine, and saline to see whether either medicine works better than saline in reducing postoperative behavior changes. Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to receive intranasal dexmedetomidine, intranasal esketamine, or intranasal saline about thirty minutes before anesthesia * Undergo their planned surgery with standard general anesthesia care ③ Be assessed for behavior changes at three, seven, and twenty-eight days after surgery ④ Have routine monitoring of recovery, pain, agitation, and safety outcomes during and after surgery

Key facts

Study ID: NCT07324057
Run by: Sun Fei
People needed: 234
Starts: 2026-04-01
Expected to finish: 2027-11-30
Last updated by the study team: 2026-04-15

Who can join

Age: 2 and older, up to 12. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

Children aged 2-12 years ASA physical status I-III Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by a psychiatrist Scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia

You may not qualify if…

Cardiac, thoracic/pulmonary, or neurosurgery Congenital disease or severe hepatic/renal dysfunction Allergy to study drugs Neuromuscular disease, cerebral palsy, or epilepsy Other psychiatric or neurologic disorders BMI ≥30 kg/m² Severe upper respiratory tract infection preoperatively Sedatives or analgesics used within 48 hours preoperatively Major life stressor within 1 month pre-op (e.g., family/school change, parental divorce or death) Parent/guardian refuses participation

Where it is running

Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University — Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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