COMPARISON OF THE RECOVERY CHARACTERISTICS OF MIDAZOLAM, ALONE OR ANTAGONIZED WITH FLUMAZENIL, AND THIOPENTAL IN ASA III-IV PATIENTS

Sixty non-premedicated male patients, physically ASA III-IV, 50-80 yea rs of age, undergoing translumbar aorthography, were randomly allocate d into three groups. Group A received midazolam (0.13 mg . kg(-1)), gr oup B received thiopental (4 mg . kg(-1)), and group C midazolam (0.13 mg . kg(-1)) combined with flumazenil (6 mu g . kg(-1)) at the end of the operation. Three minutes before the anaesthesia began, fentanyl(1 .5 mu g . kg(-1)) was administered to all the patients. An evaluation was made of the time they took to open their eyes spontaneously, of ti me-space orientation, comprehension-collaboration, hypnosedation, psyc homotor performance and memory. In groups ''C'' and ''B'' spontaneous opening of the eyes took place before that of group ''A''. The recover y of orientation, comprehension and hypnosedation was fastest with thi opental, next with midazolam combined with flumazenil, and later with midazolam. Psychomotor performance in Trieger test was impaired for a shorter period with thiopental than in the other two groups. Recovery in group ''C'' was incomplete within the time, with the result that re sedation was detected in 20% of the subjects.