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Lorazepam (WY 4036) as a pre‐operative medication

A pilot study in sixty gynaecological patients suggested that lorazepam in 2 mg doses was a suitable pre-operative medication with few side-effects and without overt effects on the respiratory or cardiovascular systems. The subjects for the main study were mainly female patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia. On admission to the study, in addition to routine history taking and examination, particular note was made of age, sex, height and weight, the frequency of previous admissions to hospital, any experience of previous surgery and any concomitant drug therapy. The trial was carried out in two phases on a double-blind basis with randomised distribution of the drugs. In the first trial, tablets contained either 1 mg lorazepam or 5 mg diazepam; in the second, either I mg lorazepam or 2.5 mg diazepam. Medication was given on the eve of operation and repeated the following morning. In both trials the drug effect on the sleep the night before the operation and the sedative effect immediately prior to the operation were investigated. Observations made by the nursing staff relate to the onset, duration and type of sleep produced by the drugs. All other observations were made by the author.