[Clinical evaluation of midazolam as an anesthetic for geriatric patients and patients with hepatic dysfunction]

This study evaluated the usefulness of midazolam in inducing a anesthetic state in 60 patients who underwent surgery under general anesthesia. The patients were divided into 3 groups; a geriatric group, a hepatic dysfunction group, and a control group (adults without complications). To induce sleep 0.15 mg.kg-1 or 0.2 mg.kg-1 of midazolam was administered intravenously to all three groups. After the administration of midazolam, the mean time for obtaining absence of response to calling name and absence of ciliary reflex were not significantly different in the three groups. The pulse rate and respiratory rate also did not change remarkably. But significant decreases were observed in the systolic blood pressure and tidal volume in all three groups. However, they were not significantly different among the three groups. These results indicate that midazolam is a useful drug for inducing anesthetic state in geriatric patients and patients with hepatic dysfunction.