Oral Diphenhydramine-Midazolam Versus Oral Diphenhydramine for Pediatric Sedation in the Emergency Department

Sedation is defined as the attenuation of CNS reflexes following usage of some medications; this can be used to provide patient comfort with no undesirable loss of consciousness.. This study focused on the efficacy of oral diphenhydramine-midazolam versus oral diphenhydramine for pediatric sedation in the emergency department..Patients and One hundred children up to 13 years, referred to the emergency department for suturing their wounds, were randomized into two groups. Group I received 1.25 mg/kg diphenhydramine and group II received 1.25 mg/kg diphenhydramine plus 0.5 mg/kg midazolam, orally. Later, the drug compliance and anxiety were categorized. Child behavior patterns such as crying, consciousness and movement were recorded. Two weeks after discharge, subjects were followed-up for any experience of complication.. The maximum time to achieve the optimal sedation was 16.13 ± 4.78 minutes in group I and 7.1 ± 2.49 minutes in group II (P < 0.0001). Behavior study of the children was obtained by phone calls to their parents 2 weeks after discharge; restlessness and insomnia were less frequently seen in group II in comparison with group I (P < 0.0001). Combination of diphenhydramine-midazolam in comparison with only diphenhydramine, provides a higher quality of sedation, with fewer complications before diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in children..