MONDAY, June 15, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- A standardized propofol-based, electroencephalography (EEG)-guided emergence bundle to facilitate a preemergence state conducive to dreaming is feasible for facilitating anesthesia dreaming, according to a study published in the July issue of Anesthesiology.
Pilleriin Sikka, Ph.D., from the Stanford University School of Medicine in California, and colleagues conducted a prospective quality improvement feasibility study involving 474 patients undergoing elective surgeries. Participants were anesthetized according to a five-element protocol: preinduction verbal priming about dreaming, propofol as an emergence anesthetic, EEG monitoring to guide emergence, minimized stimulation before emergence (10 minutes or longer), and immediate postemergence interviews. Postanesthesia recovery unit outcomes were examined in a subset of 106 patients with breast cancer.
Overall, 69 percent of 452 patients interviewed reported dreaming. The researchers found that 93 percent of the 57 patients with full adherence to all protocol elements reported dreaming. Eighty-six percent of the dreams were positive; no very negative dreams were reported. Higher sleep quality was reported by dreamers than nondreamers (mean, 9.16 ± 1.57 versus 7.65 ± 2.86, respectively). The protocol was safe; no intraoperative awareness was reported. No difference was seen between the groups in recovery times and analgesic and antiemetic use. High adherence was seen to most elements, apart from the no-stimulation emergence period (14 percent), supporting feasibility.
"For many patients, anesthesia is the part of surgery they fear most," coauthor Boris D. Heifets, M.D., Ph.D., also from the Stanford University School of Medicine, said in a statement. "These findings suggest that, with a simple and structured approach, anesthesiologists may be able to shape that experience in a more positive direction."
One author disclosed ties to Arcadia Medicine, Vida Ventures, and Tactogen.
