Use of lorazepam as a premedicant for caesarean section. An evaluation of its effects on the mother and the neonate.

The effects of lorazepam premedication on the mother and baby were compared with those of a placebo in a double-blind study of 10 patients undergoing elective Caesarean section. There was little anxiolytic effect on the mothers, and no harmful effects to the babies occurred in respect of blood-gas tensions, heart rate, temperature or feeding patterns. Lorazepam did produce a transient effect on the neonatal respiratory rate and initially the babies had a reduced score on the Brazelton Assessment System.