Dose-Finding Study of Intranasal Midazolam for Procedural Sedation in Children

July 28, 2025 updated by: Daniel S Tsze, MD, MPH, Columbia University

Dose-finding study to compare intranasal midazolam doses of 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 mg/kg in children undergoing laceration repair to achieve the following aims:

Specific Aim #1: To determine the most effective dose of intranasal midazolam for producing adequate sedation state associated with each dose.

Specific Aim #2: To determine the time to recovery and describe the adverse events associated with each dose.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Intranasal midazolam is a common and effective sedative whose use in children presenting to emergency departments has been described. However, the doses of intranasal midazolam used have varied greatly, with no identified optimal dose. Doses most commonly described in literature reviews, research studies, and clinical guidelines range from 0.2 to 0.5 mg/kg. There is only one study, retrospective, that compares doses and suggests that clinical efficacy is improved with higher doses, without any clear difference in safety. There is a need for a rigorously-conducted trial to determine the dose of intranasal midazolam that optimizes the adequacy of sedation state without leading to adverse events or compromising emergency department-centric outcomes such as time to onset of sedation and time to recovery. To fill this important and persistent gap in knowledge, the investigator will conduct a dose-finding study using an adaptive trial design to compare intranasal midazolam doses of 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 mg/kg in children undergoing laceration repairs, one of the most common types of minor trauma treated in emergency departments.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
101

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10032
        • NewYork Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

6 months to 7 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Ages 6 months to 7 years old (i.e. before their 8th birthday)
  • Simple laceration
  • Attending physician has decided intranasal midazolam indicated to facilitate repair

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Repair using tissue adhesive (e.g. Dermabond) or staples
  • Known or confirmed developmental delay
  • Baseline motor neurological abnormality (e.g. motor deficit, cerebral palsy)
  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Illness associated with chronic pain
  • Known allergy to midazolam or any other benzodiazepine
  • Eyelid laceration
  • Tongue or intraoral lacerations
  • Nasal obstruction that cannot be easily cleared
  • Does not speak English or Spanish
  • Foster children, wards of the state

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: 0.2 mg/kg
Children in a single urban pediatric emergency department (ED) randomized to receive IN midazolam at 0.2 mg/kg.
Drug: Intranasal midazolam
5 mg/mL concentration of midazolam. Maximum dose = 10 mg. Administered using a mucosal atomization device.
Other Names:
  • IN midazolam
Experimental: 0.3 mg/kg
Children in a single urban pediatric emergency department (ED) randomized to receive IN midazolam at 0.3 mg/kg.
Drug: Intranasal midazolam
5 mg/mL concentration of midazolam. Maximum dose = 10 mg. Administered using a mucosal atomization device.
Other Names:
  • IN midazolam
Experimental: 0.4 mg/kg
Children in a single urban pediatric emergency department (ED) randomized to receive IN midazolam at 0.4 mg/kg.
Drug: Intranasal midazolam
5 mg/mL concentration of midazolam. Maximum dose = 10 mg. Administered using a mucosal atomization device.
Other Names:
  • IN midazolam
Experimental: 0.5 mg/kg
Children in a single urban pediatric emergency department (ED) randomized to receive IN midazolam at 0.5 mg/kg.
Drug: Intranasal midazolam
5 mg/mL concentration of midazolam. Maximum dose = 10 mg. Administered using a mucosal atomization device.
Other Names:
  • IN midazolam

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Children Who Achieved PSSS Score 2, 3, or 4 for 95% or Greater of the Scored Procedure
Time Frame: From study drug administration until procedure finished (approximately 60 minutes)
The Pediatric Sedation State Scale (PSSS) is scored from 0 to 5, representing a continuum of sedation that spans from over-sedation associated with changes in vital signs (0) to inadequate sedation (5).
From study drug administration until procedure finished (approximately 60 minutes)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
UMSS Scale Score
Time Frame: From study drug administration until procedure finished (approximately 60 minutes)
Depth of sedation will be measured using the University of Michigan Sedation Scale (UMSS). This sedation scale ranges from zero to four with higher numbers indicating deeper sedation.
From study drug administration until procedure finished (approximately 60 minutes)
Time to Recovery
Time Frame: From study drug administration until patient discharge (approximately 120 minutes)
Time (in minutes) from procedure completion until a Simplified Aldrete Score (SAS) of at least 6 is achieved. The score ranges from 0 (lowest) to 8 (highest). If a patient already fulfills criteria for recovery at procedure start, then time to recovery is 0.
From study drug administration until patient discharge (approximately 120 minutes)
Number of Adverse Events
Time Frame: From study drug administration until patient discharge (approximately 120 minutes)
Adverse events will be defined using the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada and Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Consensus-Based Recommendations. These adverse events include oxygen desaturation; apnea (central, obstructive, laryngospasm); clinically apparent pulmonary aspiration; retching/vomiting; bradycardia; hypotension; excitatory movements; paradoxical response to sedation; unpleasant recovery reactions; and permanent complications (including death).
From study drug administration until patient discharge (approximately 120 minutes)
Time to Onset of Minimal Sedation
Time Frame: From study drug administration until procedure finished (approximately 60 minutes)
Time (in minutes) from administration of intranasal midazolam until a University of Michigan Sedation State (UMSS) score of 1 is achieved. The UMSS represents a spectrum of depth of sedation ranging from unarousable (4) to awake and alert (0). Note: This outcome was initially listed as a primary outcome, but was changed to a secondary outcome in the IRB-approved protocol and prior to enrollment of the first patient.
From study drug administration until procedure finished (approximately 60 minutes)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Columbia University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Emergency Medicine Foundation
Mailman School of Public Health

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Daniel S. Tsze, MD, MPH, Columbia University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 8, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 14, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 14, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 12, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 12, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 14, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 6, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 28, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • AAAS7996

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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