Safety and efficacy of ciprofol for general anesthesia induction in elderly patients undergoing lumbar surgery

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ciprofol for anesthesia induction in elderly patients undergoing lumbar surgery. Methods Sixty patients aged 65–80 years scheduled for elective lumbar surgery under general anesthesia were randomly divided into two groups ( n = 30 each): ciprofol group and propofol group. The ciprofol group received intravenous ciprofol 0.4 mg/kg combined with sufentanil 0.4 μg/kg, while the propofol group received propofol 2 mg/kg combined with sufentanil 0.4 μg/kg for anesthesia induction. Hemodynamic parameters including bispectral index (BIS), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac index (CI), pulse pressure variation (PPV), systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), and stroke volume index were recorded during induction. Time to achieve target anesthetic depth was also evaluated. Adverse events including movement, lacrimation, hypotension, hypertension, bradycardia, and coughing during induction were documented. Results Both groups showed comparable time to achieve target anesthetic depth and similar trends in hemodynamic changes. However, the ciprofol group demonstrated significantly lower incidence of hypotension compared to the propofol group (20% vs. 63%, P < 0.05), with reduced norepinephrine consumption. The incidence of other adverse events showed no significant differences between groups. Conclusion Ciprofol demonstrates comparable safety and efficacy to propofol for anesthesia induction in elderly patients undergoing lumbar surgery, with superior hemodynamic stability, supporting its clinical application in geriatric lumbar surgery. Clinical trial registration The trial was registered, before patient enrollment, in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( www.chictr.org.cn ) (Clinical trial number: ChiCTR2300069858, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=192839 , principal investigator’s name: Gang Yao, date of registration: 28/03/2023).