Comparative Trial of Intravenous Dexmedetomidine versus Midazolam Premedication on Quality of Sedation in Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Children

Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is one of the most common outpatient diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in children. Present study aimed to compare the sedative effect of intravenous dexmedetomidine premedication versus midazolam in children undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.
This was a double-blind randomized trial in which 72 patients were allocated in two groups of 36 undergoing premedication with intravenous (IV) midazolam and dexmedetomidine, respectively. Sedation scale, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, recovery time, and respiratory complications were recorded and compared.
Findings: Sedation score was significantly higher with midazolam at 15 minutes following injection (P = 0.005), on admission to recovery (P Although dexmedetomidine premedication was associated with lower mean arterial pressure and heart rate, intra-operative and recovery sedation scores were significantly higher with midazolam premedication.