Midazolam minimally impairs thermoregulatory control

Abstract

Perioperative hypothermia usually results largely from pharmacologic inhibition of normal thermoregulatory control. Midazolam is a commonly used sedative and anesthetic adjuvant whose thermoregulatory effects are unknown. We therefore tested the hypothesis that midazolam administration impairs thermoregulatory control. Eight volunteers were studied on 2 days each, once without drug and once at a target total plasma midazolam concentration of 0.3 μg/mL (corresponding to administration of ≃40 mg over ≃4 h). Each day, skin and core temperatures were increased sufficiently to provoke sweating, and then reduced to elicit peripheral vasoconstriction and shivering. We mathematically compensated for..