[Midazolam in preoperative sleep]

Abstract

In order to determine the hypnotic effects of midazolam administered per os, the drug was compared with meprobamate and a placebo in patients about to undergo surgery. The study involved 83 patients, 57 female and 26 male: 67 cases of maxillofacial surgery and 16 cases of gynaecological surgery. The study was carried out using the technique of comparison in parallel series of single doses of midazolam (15 mg) with meprobamate (250 mg) and a placebo according to the double placebo technique. The patients were aged between 18 and 60 years, male and female, and were included without any particular attention being paid to sufferers from sleep disturbances or not. The variables selected for the study were 29 in number concerning the assessment of the patient of sleep and awakening, surveillance of the time taken to fall asleep, the duration and quality of sleep and the state after awakening.