Similar observations across age groups do not establish that each ingredient of a sedation mixture is independently safe.
The ERCP study evaluated a low-dose combination of midazolam, alfentanil and propofol, including elderly and very elderly patients. The groups did not show statistically clear differences in several hemodynamic measurements, oxygen saturation, bispectral index or recorded hypotension and hypoxemia.
The findings arose under a selected three-drug regimen and monitored procedure. Selection bias and limited ability to detect uncommon complications constrain the comparison. A nonsignificant difference is not proof that age has no influence on pharmacological response.
Describe the full regimen before attributing an outcome to midazolam. A lower amount of one drug does not necessarily reduce the combined depressant effect. Individual interpretation needs the actual doses, timing, respiratory support and baseline physiology, not merely membership in an age category.
Source: PMC10985874, supplied full-text paper. Findings are paraphrased; forensic implications are an interpretation.
Related: Pediatric Sedation Z-Scores Were Relative Burden Measures Rather Than Dose Equivalents.