Comparison of anesthetic efficacy and safety between ciprofol and propofol in elderly patients undergoing painless gastrointestinal endoscopy

Objective: To compare the anesthetic effects of ciprofol and propofol in painless gastrointestinal endoscopy (PGE) for elderly patients.Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out In 200 elderly patients who underwent PGE at the Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between September 2023 and August 2024.Based on anesthetics they received, patients were divided into a propofol group (n=109) and a ciprofol group (n=91), with further stratification by American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification (I/II).Outcome measures, including the anesthesia-related indices, blood pressure at different time points [upon entering the procedure room (T0), after anesthesia induction (T1), 2 minutes after scope insertion (T2), and upon leaving the procedure room (T3)], the incidence of adverse reactions, and patient satisfaction were compared between the two groups.Results: The two groups showed comparable anesthesia induction time, gastrointestinal endoscopy duration, time to recovery of orientation, and recovery time from anesthesia (all P > 0.05).However, the ciprofol group showed significantly lower visual analog scale (VAS) scores (P < 0.05) and higher anesthesia satisfaction (91.21% vs. 71.56%,P < 0.05) compared with the propofol group.Both groups exhibited gradual decreases in diastolic and systolic blood pressure from T0 to T3, with differential patterns of change observed between groups (all P < 0.05).The ciprofol group also showed significantly lower rates of injection pain and respiratory depression than the propofol group (both P < 0.05).Conclusion: For PGE in elderly patients, ciprofol demonstrates significant advantages over propofol in reducing adverse reactions, alleviating pain, and improving patient satisfaction.