A multicenter clinical trial involving 92 critically ill children across Spain, France, Germany, and the UK compared the efficacy of inhaled isoflurane to intravenous midazolam for sedation during mechanical ventilation. Both medications demonstrated similar effectiveness in maintaining sedation, but isoflurane resulted in significantly reduced opioid use and shorter extubation times. While adverse events were more common in the isoflurane group, most were mild or moderate, supporting its use as a viable alternative for sedation in pediatric intensive care settings.

Source: The Lancet Respiratory Medicine