Midazolam Sedation vs Multi-Drug Sedation
A conscious sedation by Midazolam only can relieve patient anxiety and cause amnesia, but offers no analgesia. Onset and recovery time is quite long due to the half-life of midazolam, especially if high doses are needed. High doses of Midazolam only pose the risk of respiratory depression and apnoea.
There are other drugs which can be titrated alongside Midazolam to maximise anxiolysis and amnesia for patient comfort, offer additional analgesia to LA and minimise side effects of respiratory depression. Midazolam, Propofol, Alfentanyl, and Ketamine can be used in different combinations to suit a patient’s medical history and duration of procedure.
The benefits of using different combinations are rapid onset and rapid recovery, being able to change the level of sedation for more complex/painful parts of the procedures and additional analgesic properties for patients with a low pain threshold.
At all times the patient maintains respiratory and cardiovascular stability and even though they often drift off into a natural sleep they can be woken up at any time.
With a comprehensive sedation the following drugs may also be added as necessary by means of a drip: IV Paracetamol, IV Voltarol and IV Dexamethasone.