Clinical Research Directory

Effect of Midazolam Given at Induction on Recall of Propofol Injection Pain

Propofol is the most commonly used intravenous drug to start general anesthesia (induction). However, it often causes pain in the arm during injection, and remembering this pain after surgery can negatively affect the patient's experience and comfort. Adding lidocaine (a local anesthetic) to propofol reduces this pain but does not prevent it in every patient. Midazolam is a medicine commonly given to reduce anxiety, and it can also reduce the memory of events that occur after it is given (anterograde amnesia). It is not known whether midazolam reduces the memory of propofol injection pain after surgery. In this study, adult volunteers aged 18 to 65 who are scheduled for elective surgery will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) a low sedative dose of midazolam before propofol, (2) propofol mixed with lidocaine, or (3) propofol alone. Neither the participants nor the investigator giving the medication will know which group a participant is in. After surgery, once participants have recovered sufficiently, they will be asked whether they remember pain at the injection site during propofol injection. The study will also assess the severity of injection pain and the relationship between anxiety before surgery and injection pain. All drugs used in this study are approved medicines given at doses used in routine anesthesia practice.