We have measured the skin conductance response under resting conditions and to innocuous auditory stimuli in 45 patients receiving midazolam (group M), propofol (group P) or no sedative drug (group ND) before minor hand surgery under local anaesthesia. Administration of the sedative drugs was titrated to the end-point of slurring of speech and ptosis. The mean dose of midazolam was 0.06 (SD 0.0...

CO(2)-laser C-fibre evoked cortical potentials (LCEPs) is a potentially useful animal model for studies of pain mechanisms. A potential confounding factor when assessing analgesic effects of systemically administered drugs using LCEP is sedation. This study aims to clarify: 1) the relation between level of anaesthesia and magnitude of LCEP, 2) the effects of a sedative and an analgesic on LCEP ...

Scoparia dulcis Linn. (SD) is a perennial herb that has been well studied for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and hepatoprotective effects. However, scientific information on SD regarding the neuropharmacological effect is limited. This study evaluated the sedative and hypnotic effect of the ethanolic extract of whole plants of Scoparia dulcis (EESD). For this purpose, the who...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antinociceptive and sedative effects of midazolam and diazepam in 10 Thoroughbred mares. The sedative effects of midazolam (0.05, 0.1 and 0.15 mg/kg iv) and diazepam (0.05, 0.15 and 0.25mg/kg iv) were investigated by determination of the spontaneous locomotor activity (SLA) in automated behavior stalls and by measuring the head ptosis (HP). The antinoci...

BACKGROUND Propofol has been widely used for an induction and/or maintenance of general anesthesia, or for sedation for various procedures. Although it has many ideal aspects, there have been several cases of drug abuse and addiction. The authors investigated whether there are abuse liable groups among the general population. METHODS We surveyed 169 patients after gastric endoscopic examinati...

BACKGROUND It is unknown whether sedative per se contributes to the postoperative sleep disturbance. Diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE) is a minimally invasive procedure which is not likely to cause tissue trauma and pain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sleep quality of patients undergoing routine (without sedative) diagnostic UGE or UGE with sedative, before, 1 we...

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of continuous intravenous sedation with midazolam alone vs. midazolam plus fentanyl ("co-sedation") during mechanical ventilation. DESIGN A randomized, prospective, controlled trial. SETTING A ten-bed medical intensive care unit at a university hospital. PATIENTS Thirty patients with respiratory failure who were expected to require >48 hrs of mechanical v...

Acorus gramineus SOLANDER (Araceae), is officially listed in the Korean Pharmacopoeia which records its sedative, digestive, analgesic, diuretic, and antifungal effects. This herbal drug has been reported to be responsible for various pharmacological actions on the central nervous system (CNS): The water extract or methanol extract of AGR antagonized pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsion, poten...

BACKGROUND Conous infusions of sedative drugs in the intensive care unit may prolong the duration of mechanical ventilation, prolong the length of stay in the intensive care unit and the hospital, impede efforts to perform daily neurologic examinations, and increase the need for tests to assess alterations in mental status. Whether regular interruption of such infusions might accelerate recover...

TO MINIMIZE PATIENT DISCOMfort in the intensive care unit (ICU), sedation has become an integral part of critical care practice. Sedation reduces the stress response, provides anxiolysis, improves tolerance of ventilatory support, and facilitates nursing care. Unfortunately, sedatives have adverse effects, have the potential to prolong mechanical ventilation, and may increase health care costs....