A comparative study of diazepam with sustained-release diazepam as oral premedication in minor gynaecological surgery

Sixty patients undergoing elective minor gynaecological surgery received oral pre-operative medication with 10 mg diazepam in either conventional tablet form on the morning of operation or as the sustained-release tablet the night before. Subjective and objective assessments of the effectiveness of premedication were made. Patients receiving sustained-release diazepam on the night before surgery experienced fewer periods of wakefulness than those who received placebo. Patients who were given diazepam on the morning of surgery felt more drowsy pre-operatively than those who received sustained-release diazepam the night before.