No observed adverse events in a small trial is a limited finding, not a guarantee.
Forty-eight emergency-department patients entered the randomized comparison of haloperidol and midazolam for agitation. The investigators reported no statistically significant differences in selected sedation and recovery intervals and no observed adverse effects.
The sample was too small to characterize uncommon complications reliably. Agitation has multiple causes, and results depend on selection, administration and monitoring. Different descriptions of arousal and full consciousness also should not be silently treated as one recovery measure.
Identify the behavioral target and the observation period before quoting efficacy or safety. An individual’s calm behavior does not establish intact memory or judgment, while a longer recovery does not alone demonstrate overdose. The exposure timeline, medical cause of agitation and respiratory and neurological observations remain essential.
Source: PMC4696368, supplied full-text paper. Findings are paraphrased; forensic implications are an interpretation.
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