Background: Procedural sedation is an essential practice in emergency medicine, allowing clinicians to perform painful or anxiety-provoking interventions with patient comfort and safety. Traditional agents such as propofol, though effective, are associated with notable risks, including respiratory depression and hemodynamic instability. Remimazolam, a novel ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine, offers unique pharmacologic properties that may mitigate these risks.
Objectives: This review aims to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety profile, and clinical efficacy of remimazolam, with particular emphasis on its potential role in procedural sedation within the emergency department (ED).
Discussion: Remimazolam is rapidly metabolized by tissue esterases into an inactive metabolite, resulting in a short half-life and predictable recovery. Compared with midazolam, it demonstrates a faster onset, shorter duration of action, and reduced incidence of respiratory depression. In contrast to propofol, remimazolam is reversible with flumazenil and is associated with lower rates of hypotension and respiratory compromise, making it a potentially safer alternative for higher-risk ED patients. Whereas existing data are primarily derived from operative settings, these studies consistently show effective sedation with minimal adverse effects. Early reports on ED use are promising but remain sparse.
Conclusions: Remimazolam demonstrates promise as a procedural sedation agent in emergency medicine, particularly for patients at increased risk of hemodynamic or respiratory instability. However, further ED-specific research is required to determine optimal dosing regimens and to confirm its safety and efficacy in this unique clinical environment.
Keywords: benzodiazepines; emergency department; procedural sedation; remimazolam; sedation safety.
Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Inc.