CONTINUOUS MIDAZOLAM INFUSION AS TREATMENT OF STATUS EPILEPTICUS

In a tertiary referral centre, midazolam infusion was tried as treatme nt for 20 children with status epilepticus over a period of two years. The mean age of the children was 4.07 years. Twelve children with ref ractory status epilepticus had received intravenous or per rectal diaz epam and intravenous phenytoin/phenobarbitone or both before midazolam was given (0.15 mg/kg bolus followed by 1-5 mu g/kg/min infusion). Ei ght children required only midazolam to control the established status epilepticus. The seizures were controlled in 19 children. The mean ti me required for complete cessation of seizures was 0.9 hours. The mean infusion rate required was 2.0 mu g/kg/min. All children had regained full consciousness by a mean of 5.1 hours after discontinuation of mi dazolam treatment. No metabolic derangement or compromise of vital fun ctions was noted in any of the children. Midazolam infusion is thus an effective and safe therapeutic approach for the management of childho od status epilepticus.