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Buccal midazolam for pediatric convulsive seizures: efficacy, safety, and patient acceptability

Mark Anderson1

  • 1Great North Children's Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

Patient Preference and Adherence
|January 24, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Buccal midazolam offers a safe and effective alternative for rapidly stopping prolonged seizures in children. This route bypasses the need for intravenous access, proving beneficial in both hospital and community settings.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

  • Prolonged seizures and status epilepticus are frequent neurological emergencies in children.
  • Intravenous access can be challenging in pediatric patients, necessitating alternative drug delivery methods.
  • Effective and safe medications are crucial for rapid seizure termination in diverse settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the clinical pharmacology of buccal midazolam for pediatric seizure management.
  • To highlight the efficacy, safety, and acceptability of buccal midazolam.
  • To discuss its suitability for both in-hospital and community use.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical pharmacology data for buccal midazolam.
  • Analysis of efficacy and safety studies in pediatric populations.
  • Consideration of formulation and administration route challenges.

Main Results:

  • Buccal midazolam has demonstrated efficacy and safety in terminating pediatric seizures.
  • This administration route is well-accepted by children and caregivers.
  • A licensed formulation is now available in Europe.

Conclusions:

  • Buccal midazolam is a valuable therapeutic option for pediatric status epilepticus.
  • Its non-intravenous route addresses critical access challenges in children.
  • Clinical pharmacology supports its widespread use in pediatric emergency care.

Keywords:
buccal midazolamneurologypediatricspharmacology

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