[Intranatal Administration of midazolam (author's transl)]

First experiences with Midazolam during parturition of 109 women show that this drug can help to ease delivery by psychical and muscular relaxation. This results also in a shorter length of the delivery period. Midazolam has a half-life of about two hours and can be applied simultaneously with oxytocin by motor driven syringe. Therefore, the application can be well controlled; and the placenta transfer is small. No fetal or maternal side-effect could be observed other than restricted undulatory amplitudes of the cardiotocogram. Midazolam itself does not exhibit analgetic action, but its application allows to break through the circulus vitiosus anxiety-tension-pain. This results in a reduction of breath depressing analgetics such as Pethidin.