Yuno K, Iishi H, Tatsuta M, Hifumi K, Omori M
Department of Nursing, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, Japan.
Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 1996 Dec;10(6):981-4. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2036.1996.76243000.x.
Forty patients, aged between 36 and 60 years, scheduled to undergo colonoscopic removal of colorectal polyps were randomly assigned to receive 0.9% saline solution (n = 20) or 0.05 mg/kg body weight of midazolam (n = 20) intravenously.
Midazolam significantly (P < 0.001) increased the tolerance of patients to colonoscopy. It had no significant effect on pulse or systolic blood pressure during endoscopy. Arterial oxygen saturation decreased significantly (P < 0.01) during endoscopy in patients pre-treated with midazolam, but it did not decrease by more than 5%.
Intravenous midazolam is useful as a sedative for colonoscopy, but we recommend continuous oxygen saturation monitoring during endoscopy.