ABSTRACT
In order to shorten anaesthesia induction and to avoid pain of the intramuscular injection, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of midazolam given by a jet-injector, utilized solely for mass inoculations until now. Premedication with midazolam with the jet-injector, indeed, proved to be effective, rapid and safe in children. The best results were found in two groups receiving 150-200 microgram/kg midazolam. Within 5 minutes, it was easy to cannulate a vein in children injected by the jet-injector, whereas the effect of intramuscular injection developed slowly, within 7 minutes. In the latter group, cannulation of the vein was more difficult than in the other groups. The separation from the parents and anaesthetic induction were greatly facilitated by midazolam given by the jet-injector. Amnesia was present not only for anaesthetic induction but also for the injection. Recovery was not more prolonged in those premedicated with midazolam with the jet-injector than with midazolam administered by other routes: oral, rectal or nasal. The children induced with the aid of jet-injector had no unpleasant recall based on interviews with the patients and parents.
