THE MEDIAN EFFECTIVE DOSE OF NASAL MIDAZOLAM FOR ENDOSCOPIC EXAMINATION IN PEDIATRIC-PATIENTS

Midazolam, a benzodiazepine, was recently included in the basic drug s cheme of the Mexican health system. Midazolam shares anxiolytic, sedat ive, hypnotic, muscle relaxant, amnesic, and anticonvulsant activity w ith other benzodiazepines; however, it has a short period of action an d is stable in water, making it possible to administer midazolam nasal ly. Midazolam is already used nasally in children as a preanesthetic; however, its use as a single drug to induce conscious sedation in chil dren undergoing endoscopic examination has not been studied. Thus this study was designed to calculate the median effective dose (ED(50)) of midazolam in 86 children who underwent endoscopy. Results showed that the ED(50) was 0.30 +/- 0.05 mg/kg, with a range of 0.20 mg/kg to 0.5 0 mg/kg. The degree of sedation was significant (P > 0.001) with this dose compared with baseline. Immediate adverse events occurred in 7 pa tients (8%) and included profound sedation in 4 patients, cyanosis in 2, and respiratory distress in 1.