Conditions: Basal Cell Carcinoma Squamous Cell Carcinoma Skin Cancer Anxiety
Keywords: mohs micrographic surgery skin cancer anxiety basal cell carcinoma squamous cell carcinoma midazolam versed
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 75
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Midazolam is an approved sedative medication used for medical procedures. This study was being done to document the safety and efficacy of midazolam in improving anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure in patients prior to undergoing Mohs micrographic surgery for the treatment of skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma). Midazolam may make a patient relaxed and sleepy, and lower blood pressure. These effects last for about 2 hours.

This study had two parts. In the first part, eligible patients were randomized to either receiving one standard dose of midazolam syrup or placebo syrup before their surgery, with neither the patient nor the study team knowing which patient received the study drug. In the second part, patients who were not eligible to participate in the randomized study or who refused to participate in the randomized study were enrolled in a prospective arm where they knew they were receiving midazolam syrup. In the prospective arm, the doses were based on the patient's weight, and patients were given additional doses of midazolam syrup as necessary to control their anxiety.

The primary hypothesis of this study was that a single dose of oral midazolam syrup to patients prior undergoing outpatient Mohs micrographic surgery for skin cancer would result in lower anxiety scores at 60 minutes compared to placebo. In addition, the second hypothesis of this study was that patients given oral midazolam would have the rate of adverse events that was not worse than 25% higher than in the placebo group.

Detailed description:
The main objective of this study was to establish the safety and efficacy of midazolam in patients with skin cancer undergoing outpatient Mohs micrographic surgery. Patients were randomized in a double-blind placebo-controlled study of a single-dose midazolam syrup for efficacy in producing safe anxiolysis of short duration. A parallel prospective arm of the study involved administration of midazolam in an unblinded fashion. Based on available studies of orally administered midazolam, the expectation was that the only observed adverse events will be minor and the major adverse event rate for midazolam would be similar to placebo. Data was collected on vital signs, anxiety, adverse events, and overall satisfaction with the anxiolytic agent.

Arms:
arm 1: Single-dose midazolam arm 2: None arm 3: None

Interventions: intervention 1: Randomized Midazolam intervention 2: Placebo intervention 3: Local Anesthesia intervention 4: Prospective Midazolam
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Midazolam was prepared in a 2 mg/ml cherry flavored syrup. In the randomized arm, patients received a single-dose administration of 5 ml (10 mg) of the midazolam syrup. intervention 2: The placebo was prepared as a color- and texture-matched cherry flavored syrup without midazolam. intervention 3: Lidocaine 1% with 1:100,000 epinephrine intervention 4: Midazolam was prepared in a 2 mg/ml cherry flavored syrup. Dosing in the prospective arm was based on weight (\>45 to 77 kg, 10 mg; \>77 to 100 kg, 15 mg; greater than or equal to 100 kg, 20 mg). In the prospective arm patients were given additional doses of midazolam as necessary (in 5 mg increments) to achieve and maintain the desired level of anxiolysis.

Protocol document: