Early clinical experience in reversing benzodiazepine sedation with flumazenil after short procedures

Flumazenil (Flu) (Ro 15-1788, Anexate) is a newly synthetized specific benzodiazepine (BZD) antagonist which was recently introduced for clinical study. The drug was intravenously injected, in titrated doses, to patients undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic procedures in order to reverse the sedative effects of BZDs. A total of 63 patients undergoing hand surgery under i.v. regional block, lower abdominal surgery under epidural anesthesia, cardiac catheterization, intracardiac catheter ablation, cardioversion, gastroscopy and bronchoscopy were studied. Flu in a dose ranging from 0.1 to 0.42 mg effectively reversed BZD-induced sedation in all patients 1-2 min following i.v. injection. Patients were fully awake and oriented yet calm and in good mood. Flu was well tolerated even in the high risk cardiac patients, with no significant changes in vital signs nor any sign of local irritation at the site of Flu injection. No significant resedation was observed. Thus Flu was very useful in reversing BZD-induced sedation or unconsciousness in a variety of clinical situations.