[Midazolam-atropine lollipop for pediatric premedication]

Strawberry flavored sweet lollipop containing midazolam (5 mg) and atropine (0.25 mg) was evaluated for the premedication of pediatric patients as judged by sedative and anti-anxious effects and gastric fluid volume and acidity. The subjects of this prospective, double blind, random and controlled study were 175 children aged between 6 months and 10 years. They were divided into three groups: group A patients receiving the lollipop containing only 5 mg midazolam (n = 78), group B patients receiving the lollipop containing only 0.25 mg atropine (n = 21), and group C patients receiving the lollipop containing 5 mg midazolam and 0.25 mg atropine (n = 76). The plasma midazolam concentration was measured in ten children in group A. The sedative and anti-anxious effects were scaled with four levels. The children receiving the lollipop containing midazolam (group A and C) showed a better level of the sedative and anti-anxious state. The volume of gastric fluid of group A was more than those of group B and C. The pH of group A gastric fluid was also higher than those of other groups. The correlation equation of the plasma midazolam concentration (y ng.ml-1) against time (t min) was y = 149 x e(-t/64), (r = 0.775). These results suggest that midazolam-atropine lollipop is one of the favorable choices as the premedication for pediatric patients.