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

Background: 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. objectives: this study focused on the efficacy of oral diphenhydramine-midazolam versus oral diphenhydramine for pediatric sedation in the emergency department. patients and methods: 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 behvior patterns such as crying, consciousness and movement were recorded. two weeks after discharge, subjects were followed-up for any experience of complication. results: 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) conclusions: 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.