Diazepam as an Adjunct to Bronchoscopy

¹ Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas
² Associate Professor of Surgery and Chairman, Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

A controlled double-blind study of 50 patients undergoing bronchoscopy under topical anesthesia was done to determine the effectiveness of diazepam (valium) premedication as compared to meperidine. The majority of the patients in both groups were able to relax and cooperate during the procedure. Cooperativeness was significantly better in the meperidine group. Anxiety and restlessness were affected similary by the two drugs. Dizepam-treated patients were more often drowsy and confused than were the meperidine-treated patients. The procedure was easy to perform in over half the patients in both groups. Six (25 percent) of the diazepam-treated patients had no recall of the procedure 24 hours later as compared to two (8 percent)of the meperidine-treated patients. No serious complication related to either drug were noted. This study shows that diazepam as premedication for bronchoscopy is as effective as meperidine for producing relaxation and relieving anxiety but somewhat less effective for peomoting cooperation. It can produce amnesia for the event in a signficant number of patients.