Midazolam/fentanyl. A total intravenous technique for short procedures.

Midazolam (RO 21-3981), a water soluble benzodiazepine, was used in combination with fentanyl as a total intravenous anaesthetic for outpatient cystoscopy. It was compared with a similar technique using Althesin and fentanyl. In both series good conditions were produced, and patient acceptance was high, with absence of pain on injection, no inappropriate muscle movements and no nausea or vomiting. The induction and recovery times were slightly longer in the midazolam series, but not undesirably so. There appeared to be a slight incidence of phlebitis with midazolam, but because the patients were discharged from hospital, the exact incidence could not be ascertained with certainty.