How long do you need to observe a patient who has had reversal of a benzodiazepine with flumazenil (Romazicon)?
Your question surrounded standards regarding discharge of Phase II patients after receiving flumazenil. The Standards of Perianesthesia Nursing Practice does not address this specifically. There is a resource in the standards that addresses “The Role of the Registered Nurse in the Management of Patients Undergoing Sedation for Short-Term Therapeutic, Diagnostic or Surgical Procedures”. It covers management and monitoring, but really does not discuss specific medications. The single point that needs to be kept in mind is the half-life of all the medications that were administered. According to Michael Kost, in his book Moderate Sedation/Analgesia, flumazenil has a half-life of 30-45 minutes. The duration of action for the benzodiazepines that flumazenil reverses can last hours equal to the patients age (diazepam), or one to five hours for midazolam. In determining the appropriate length of time to monitor the patient who received flumazenil, the age of the patient and renal and liver fu
