Title

Desflurane and target-controlled propofol for craniotomy: A randomized trial

Authors

Bhavana Pinnaka¹, Ishrat Yousuf², Parameshwara Gundapa³, Poonam Rani⁴, Yalamanchali L. Sindhura⁵ & Shiva Meesala⁶,*

Affiliation

¹Department of Critical Care Medicine, KIMS ICON Hospitals, Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh, India; ²Department of Neuroanaesthesia, Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India; ³Department of Anaesthesia, Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India; ⁴Department of Anaesthesia, Aadesh Medical College and Hospital, Mohri, Haryana, India; ⁵Department of Anaesthesia, Cloudnine Hospitals, Hitech City, Hyderabad, Telangana, India; ⁶Department of Critical Care Medicine, Abhaya Hospitals, Bobbili, Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Bhavana Pinnaka - E-mail: bhavanachowdary88@gmail.com
Ishrat Yousuf - E-mail: eshratusuf90@gmail.com
Parameshwara Gundapa - E-mail: paramgundappa@gmail.com
Poonam Rani - E-mail: prathore646@gmail.com
Yalamanchali L. Sindhura - E-mail: sindhuraones@gmail.com
Shiva Meesala - E-mail: mbsivakumar86@gmail.com

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received September 1, 2026; Revised September 30, 2026; Accepted September 30, 2026, Published September 30, 2026

Abstract

Selecting the optimal anaesthetic technique for craniotomy remains challenging because desflurane and target-controlled infusion (TCI) propofol differ in cerebral and recovery effects. Sixty ASA I-III patients undergoing elective supratentorial craniotomy were randomized to desflurane or TCI propofol and brain relaxation, haemodynamics, emergence and recovery were compared. Brain relaxation and intraoperative haemodynamic stability were similar, but desflurane produced faster extubation, eye opening and vocalization (all P<0.001). Desflurane was associated with higher post-operative pain and PONV, whereas blood loss was greater with TCI propofol (573 vs 440 mL, P<0.001). Thus, both techniques are suitable for elective craniotomy, with desflurane enabling faster emergence and TCI propofol improving post-operative comfort despite slower recovery.

Keywords

Craniotomy, desflurane, propofol, target-controlled infusion, brain relaxation, neuroanaesthesia, total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA)

Citation

Pinnaka et al. Bioinformation 22(9): 5710-5713 (2026)

Edited by

Ruby Singh

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.