title: Esmolol for treatment of intraoperative tachycardia and/or hypertension in patients having cardiac operations. Bolus loading technique.
abstract: Esmolol, administered as a bolus followed by continuous infusion, was used to treat the occurrence of transient tachycardia and hypertension or tachycardia alone before cardiopulmonary bypass in 45 patients. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase I (15 patients) was a dose-finding study and phase II (30 patients) was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled efficacy study. All patients received the last dose of their usual beta-adrenergic blocker the night before the operation and were anesthetized with midazolam, vecuronium, and enflurane in oxygen. Treatment criteria were either a systolic blood pressure greater than 140 mm Hg and a heart rate greater than 70 or a heart rate greater than 80 beats/min. In phase I, graduated doses of esmolol were given to successive patients. A dose of 80 mg followed by a 12 mg/min infusion was declared effective. Phase II patients were randomized to receive esmolol (n = 16) or placebo (n = 14). Hemodynamic data were collected at baseline and 1, 3, 5, and 10 minutes after the administration of esmolol. Plasma norepinephrine was measured at baseline, 1, and 10 minutes. Esmolol significantly (p less than 0.05) reduced heart rate at 1, 3, 5, and 10 minutes but did not change blood pressure, pulmonary artery diastolic pressure, right atrial pressure, cardiac output, or systemic vascular resistance. Our results show that a bolus loading dose of esmolol is safe and effective in the treatment of tachycardia in patients with ischemic heart disease and that esmolol rapidly blocks the beta-adrenergic effects of norepinephrine associated with surgical stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Heart Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Reves
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Croughwell
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rankin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: VanTrigt
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007430:Intraoperative Care; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D011412:Propanolamines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D011412:Propanolamines; C036604:esmolol; D009638:Norepinephrine