ABSTRACT
Objective To study the sedative and analgesic effects of butorphanol combined with midazolam on critically ill patients treated by mechanical ventilation. Methods Fifty-eight patients who received mechanical ventilation, sedation and analgesia in intensive care unit (ICU) of Affiliated Huaian No.1 Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2012 to December 2013 were enrolled. The patients were divided into a single midazolam group (30 cases) and a combination of butorphanol and midazolam group (combination with butorphanol group, 28 cases) according to the difference in types of sedative. The sedation for patients in the single midazolam group was induced firstly by intravenous injection of 0.05-0.10 mg/kg midazolam and followed by continuous infusion of the same drug 0.05 - 0.15 mg·kg-1·h-1 with a micro injection pump. The patients in the combination with butorphanol group were given a loading dose of butorphanol 10μg/kg and followed by continuous infusion of 10-20μg·kg-1·h-1 butorphanol combined with 0.05 - 0.15 mg·kg-1·h-1 midazolam by a micro pump. The Ramsay anesthesia score and visual analogue scale (VAS) were used to evaluate the sedative and analgesic effects. According to the Ramsay score, the sedation depths of patients in the two groups were maintained at 2-4 grades, and reassessed every 1-2 hours. The mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and pulse blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) were observed before and after the drug administration in two groups. Results There were no statistically significant differences in MAP, HR and SpO2 between single midazolam group and combination with butorphanol group before treatment [MAP (mmHg, 1 mmHg=0.133 kPa): 121.3±6.2 vs. 118.6±8.7, HR (bpm):129.5±14.1 vs. 125.5±16.3, SpO2:0.744±0.112 vs. 0.756±0.131, all P>0.05]. Compared with those before treatment, after treatment, the above indexes in two groups were significantly improved, the differences being statistically significant [single midazolam group:MAP (mmHg) 88.7±6.5 vs. 121.3±6.2, HR (bpm) 85.3±13.4 vs. 129.5±14.1, SpO2 0.937±0.056 vs. 0.744±0.112; combination with butorphanol group: MAP (mmHg) 82.6±7.3 vs. 118.6±8.7, HR (bpm) 89.6±14.7 vs. 125.5±16.3, SpO2 0.943±0.078 vs. 0.756±0.131, all P < 0.05], and the degree of improvement of the combination with butorphanol group was better than that of the single midazolam group. The initial acting time of drugs and the time awakening from anesthesia in the combination with butorphanol group were shorter significantly than those in the single midazolam group (minutes: 33.6±6.2 vs. 73.3±12.2, 71.8±19.3 vs. 103.5±30.1, both P < 0.05), and the incidence of adverse reaction was lower obviously than that in the single midazolam group (0 vs.13.3%, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the score of VAS in the combination with butorphanol group was lower significantly than that in single midazolam group (8.4±1.2 vs. 2.4±0.8, P < 0.05). Conclusions Butorphanol combined with midazolam for treatment of critically ill patients with mechanical ventilation is a very effective sedative method, which may improve the degree of patients' tolerance towards the measure and reduce the incidence of adverse reactions.