Midazolam is a medication often used to calm and relax patients before surgeries. It helps reduce stress and, in many cases, makes patients forget the experience.
However, researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered a possible risk with this drug when given at specific times.
The researchers analyzed more than 1.7 million medical records of patients who received midazolam during procedures. In these records, they found 16,404 cases where patients experienced heart damage.
When they examined the data more closely, they noticed a troubling pattern: surgeries performed at night showed a higher risk of heart injury. Surprisingly, this was especially true for patients who were otherwise healthy.
This finding led the researchers to investigate why the time of day might influence the drug’s effects on the heart. They focused on a gene called PER2, which helps control the body’s circadian rhythms.
Circadian rhythms are the natural processes that align with the 24-hour day and night cycle, regulating many biological functions, including heart protection.
To dig deeper, the researchers conducted experiments on mice to study how midazolam interacts with the PER2 gene. They discovered that midazolam increases levels of a calming brain chemical called GABA.
While this effect helps relax patients, it also reduces the activity of the PER2 gene at night. Since the PER2 gene plays a key role in protecting the heart, this nighttime suppression made the heart more vulnerable to injury.
The findings highlight how important timing can be when giving certain medications. The time of day can change how drugs work in the body and how safe they are. For midazolam, administering it at night may carry extra risks for heart health.
This research, led by Tobias Eckle and published in Frontiers of Cardiovascular Medicine, points to the need for better planning when it comes to drug schedules. It supports the idea of “personalized medicine,” where treatments are tailored not just to the patient but also to the time of day.
For example, some blood pressure medications are already known to work better when taken at night. Applying this concept to more drugs could improve safety and effectiveness.
By aligning treatments with the body’s natural rhythms, doctors could reduce risks and help patients recover better. This approach could lead to safer surgeries, more effective medicines, and improved overall healthcare.
The study serves as a reminder of how closely our biological clocks interact with medications. It opens the door to new ways of thinking about treatment schedules, aiming to make healthcare not just about the right drug but also the right time to use it.
These insights underline the importance of ongoing research to ensure medical treatments are as safe and effective as possible.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that vitamin K helps cut heart disease risk by a third, and a year of exercise reversed worrisome heart failure.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about supplements that could help prevent heart disease, stroke, and results showing this food ingredient may strongly increase heart disease death risk.
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