Buccal midazolam for pediatric convulsive seizures: efficacy, safety, and patient acceptability

Prolonged seizures and status epilepticus are a common acute neurological presentation in pediatric practice. As a result, there is a need for effective and safe medications that can be delivered to convulsing children to effect rapid seizure termination both in hospital and community settings. The challenges of achieving intravenous access, particularly in young children, mandate alternative routes of administration for these drugs. Over the last ten years, midazolam delivered via the buccal mucosa has been demonstrated to be efficacious, safe, and acceptable to children and their caregivers, and a formulation has recently been licensed for use in Europe. The aim of this article is to review the clinical pharmacology with respect to these issues.