Objective : To investigate the effect of lidocaine combined with esketamine on recovery quality and cognitive function in patients undergoing lung surgery. Methods : A total of 100 patients receiving pulmonary resection at our hospital between July 2023 and December 2025 were enrolled and randomized via a random number table into two equal arms (n=50 per group): observation and control. The control group was treated with routine anesthesia to maintain anesthesia, and the observation group was treated with lidocaine and esketamine on the basis of routine anesthesia. The recovery quality [ Riker sedation agitation score ( SAS ) at 30 min after extubation, recovery time, extubation time ], cognitive function [ simple mental state examination score ( MMSE ) before operation and 1 d, 3 d after operation ], perioperative hemodynamic indexes [ mean arterial pressure ( MAP ), heart rate ( HR ) before anesthesia drug infusion ( T0 ), tracheal intubation ( T1 ), 5 min after extubation ( T2 ) ] and the incidence of adverse reactions at 72 h after operation were compared between the two groups. Results : In the observation group, the SAS score measured 30 minutes post-extubation and the MMSE scores at 1 day and 3 days post-operation were significantly higher than those in the control group. Conversely, both recovery and extubation times were shorter in the observation group compared to the control group. No significant differences in MAP and HR were observed at T0, T1, and T2 within the observation group (P > 0.05). In contrast, within the control group, MAP and HR at T1 and T2 were notably elevated compared to T0, with the differences being statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion : The application of lidocaine combined with esketamine in lung surgery can improve the quality of recovery, protect postoperative cognitive function, maintain perioperative hemodynamic stability, and has good safety.