The effects of flumazenil on alertness and hypoxia in elderly patients after ERCP

SUMMARY It is not known whether hypoxia, associated with upper gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures when midazolam sedation is used without narcotics, persists into the post‐procedure recovery period. Thirty consecutive patients aged over 60 years, undergoing ERCP using midazolam sedation alone, were monitored clinically and by pulse oximetry before, during and for 2 hours after the procedure. They were randomized prospectively to receive either 0.5 mg flumazenil or normal saline on extubation. Results show that patients were most hypoxic in the first 30 minutes after the procedure and that mean oxygen saturation had not returned to pre‐sedation values by 2 hours. Treatment with flumazenil increased alertness 2 minutes after the procedure, and was associated with a significantly higher arterial oxygen saturation at 15 minutes.