Effects of temazepam premedication on cognitive recovery following alfentanil-propofol anaesthesia.

The effects of temazepam 20 mg and placebo were compared for premedication in patients anaesthetized with propofol and alfentanil and undergoing day surgery. Temazepam 20 mg significantly reduced preoperative anxiety and increased recovery time. A series of computerized cognitive tasks revealed significant deficits in attention and memory following anaesthesia, which were increased in range and magnitude by temazepam, which were apparent 30 min after surgery and had largely, but not completely, recovered at 4 h. This study has demonstrated that computerized cognitive testing can identify a wider profile of impairments produced by temazepam than has been found in previous work using non-computerized techniques.