Abstract:Objective To investigate the effects of alfentanil combined with ciprofol on anesthesia-related time indices, vital signs, and recovery quality in patients undergoing painless gastrointestinal endoscopy. Methods A total of 180 patients undergoing painless gastrointestinal endoscopy at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University from September 2024 to March 2025 were included and randomly divided into two groups using a numerical randomization method, 90 cases in each group. The study group received intravenous administration of alfentanil at 5 μg/kg followed by ciprofol at 0.5 mg/kg. The control group received intravenous fentanyl citrate at 0.5 μg/kg followed by ciprofol at 0.5 mg/kg. Anesthesia-related time indices, vital signs, recovery quality (Aldrete Scale scores), and the incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results The study group showed superior results in anesthesia onset time, recovery time, consciousness recovery time, orientation recovery time, and discharge time compared to the control group (P<0.05). Vital signs in the study group remained stable at 5 minutes after anesthesia and during endoscope withdrawal. The systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and peripheral oxygen saturation in the study group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The Aldrete Scale score in the study group was higher than that in the control group at endoscope withdrawal, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, and 30 minutes after withdrawal (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the total incidence of adverse reactions between the study group and the control group (1.11% vs 3.33%, χ²=1.023, P=0.312). Conclusion Alfentanil combined with ciprofol anesthesia helps improve the anesthetic effect in patients undergoing painless gastrointestinal endoscopy, with high recovery quality and good safety.