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Oral midazolam and oral butorphanol premedication

Vinita Singh1, Manu Pathak, G P Singh

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India. vinitasingh70@indiatimes.com

Indian Journal of Pediatrics
|September 28, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Oral butorphanol provided better sedation and analgesia than midazolam in children undergoing surgery. Butorphanol also improved amnesia and recollection with comparable side effects.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Anesthesiology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Sedation and analgesia are crucial for pediatric surgical procedures.
  • Oral medications offer a less invasive route for pre-anesthetic medication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the sedative and analgesic efficacy of oral midazolam versus oral butorphanol in children.
  • To evaluate amnesia, recollection, and side effects associated with each agent.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized study of 60 children (2-10 years) receiving either oral midazolam (0.5 mg/kg) or oral butorphanol (0.2 mg/kg).
  • Sedation scores, analgesic requirements (intraoperative and postoperative), and recovery were assessed.
  • Amnesia and recollection were evaluated postoperatively.

Main Results:

  • Butorphanol showed a faster onset and peak sedation compared to midazolam (p<0.05).
  • Fewer children required rescue analgesia with butorphanol (p<0.05).
  • Butorphanol significantly improved complete amnesia (80% vs 50%) and recollection (90% vs 60%) compared to midazolam (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Oral butorphanol offers comparable sedation to midazolam with the added benefit of analgesia.
  • Butorphanol demonstrates superior amnesic and recollection properties without a significant increase in adverse events.
  • Oral butorphanol is a potentially advantageous alternative for pre-anesthetic sedation and analgesia in pediatric patients.
Abstract

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