An adult-derived care strategy requires direct assessment in children.
A multicenter pediatric trial compared protocolized sedation with the same care plus daily interruption. Ventilator-free days and lengths of stay did not clearly improve with interruption. A mortality imbalance was observed, but a causal connection to the intervention was not established.
Both groups received structured sedation management, so the study was not a comparison with unstructured usual care. The mortality finding was based on few events and cannot isolate the effect of midazolam or any single medicine.
Describe the complete care strategy and safety screening. The trial cannot prove that every interruption is harmful or that continuous sedation is always preferable. Individual evaluation requires the indication, observed response and protocol actually applied.
Source: PMC4726735, supplied full-text paper. Findings are paraphrased; forensic implications are an interpretation.
Related: Midazolam Added to Palonosetron: Antiemetic Benefit Was Not a Sedation-Safety Verdict.