The Optimal Dose of Midazolam for Promoting Sleep in Critically Ill Patients: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: Many critically ill patients treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) experience sleep disruption. Midazolam is commonly used for the sedation of critically ill patients. This pilot study is aimed to identify the optimal dose of midazolam for achieving sound sleep in critically ill patients. Methods: This prospective study was conducted in the medical ICU of a tertiary referral hospital. Polysomnography recording was performed over 24 hours to assess the quantity and quality of sleep in patients sedated with midazolam. Results: A total of five patients were enrolled. Median total sleep time was 494.0 (IQR: 113.5-859.0) min. The majority of sleep was stage 1 (median 82.0 [IQR 60.5-372.5] min) and 2 (median 88.0 [60.5-621.0] min) with scant REM (median 10.0 [6.0-50.5] min) and no stage 3 (0.0 min) sleep. The median number of wakings in 1 hour was 16.1 (IQR: 7.6-28.6). The dose of midazolam showed a positive correlation with total sleep time (r = 0.975, p = 0.005). Conclusions: The appropriate quantity of sleep in critically ill patients was achieved with a continuous infusion of 0.02-0.03 mg/kg/h midazolam. However, the quality of sleep was poor. Further study is required for the promotion of quality sleep in such patients.