title: Clinical evaluation of intravenous nitroglycerin for neurosurgery.
abstract: Moment-to-moment control of blood pressure is important in the management of the neurosurgical patient. The ideal agent to control blood pressure or induce hypotension should be non-toxic, maintain cerebrovascular autoregulation, and not alter cardiac output or change intracranial pressure. Intravenous nitroglycerin has been used to control blood pressure in 54 neurosurgical cases. This agent produces a rapid, controllable, but not precipitous fall in blood pressure without rebound, is non-toxic, may not alter cerebrovascular autoregulation, and does not raise intracranial pressure. Our clinical experience with intravenous nitroglycerin indicates that it has an important role as a hypotensive agent for the neurosurgical patient.
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007023:Hypotension, Controlled / Q000379:methods*; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D009493:Neurosurgery; D005996:Nitroglycerin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D005996:Nitroglycerin