A pharmacokinetic study on midazolam in compensated liver cirrhosis.

The authors studied the pharmacokinetic behaviour of a new benzodiazepine, midazolam, after a single oral administration in a group of five patients of both sexes, suffering from compensated alcoholic cirrhosis. In this clinical situation both absorption and metabolism rates of the compound were similar to those observed in healthy subjects. The only notable effect, occurring in one severely affected cirrhotic, consisting of prolonged pharmacological activity of the drug.