Remimazolam in elderly patients undergoing EBUS-TBNA: protocol for a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) remains the diagnostic benchmark for mediastinal staging, though geriatric patients require optimized anesthesia due to compromised pharmacokinetics and elevated perioperative risks. Methods: A prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial is conducted at a tertiary hospital. Sixty eligible patients aged over 70 years who underwent EBUS-TBNA under general anesthesia were enrolled. Participants were randomized 1:1 to receive either propofol (Group P, n = 30) or remimazolam besylate (Group R, n = 30) with protocolized perioperative management. Primary outcome assessed anesthesia emergence quality. Secondary outcomes encompassed serial hemodynamics, cumulative vasoactive drug requirements, recovery metrics (time/quality), 24-hour QoR-40 scores, and perioperative complications. Discussion: This randomized trial compared remimazolam and propofol for EBUS-TBNA anesthesia in elderly patients. Remimazolam demonstrated accelerated Steward recovery and enhanced hemodynamic stability, whereas propofol exhibited risks of adipose tissue deposition and hypotension. These pharmacodynamic profiles inform anesthetic optimization in geriatric cohorts, necessitating multicenter validation of age-adjusted protocols.