Midazolam vs. Diazepam for Pediatric Status Epilepticus

In children with status epilepticus (SE), benzodiazepines can stop seizures and avert adverse outcomes, including mortality. While diazepam was the first benzodiazepine used for SE treatment, others, including midazolam, are now commonly used in emergency settings. To better understand whether diazepam or midazolam leads to more timely and effective treatment of SE, researchers reviewed results from nine randomized trials among over 1100 children, half of whom received diazepam and the other half midazolam (age range, 1 month through 16 years).