title: Diltiazem withdrawal before coronary artery bypass surgery.
abstract: The authors studied the effects of withdrawing oral diltiazem therapy on the subsequent course of coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Patients with severe coronary artery disease were divided into three groups using a prospective, controlled, randomized protocol. In group D (diltiazem-continuation) patients, diltiazem was administered 2.1 +/- 0.1 hours (mean +/- SEM) before anesthetic induction (n = 10). Group DW (diltiazem-withdrawal) patients received their final diltiazem dose 17.3 +/- 2.9 hours before anesthesia (n = 10). Group R was a reference group of patients not receiving diltiazem (n = 11; not randomized). Anesthesia was induced and maintained with fentanyl and pancuronium without use of halogenated anesthetics. No clinically important differences were detected in measured hemodynamics or drug requirements. Group D patients did not have a lower systemic vascular resistance (SVR) index (P greater than 0.31) or mean arterial pressure (P greater than 0.08) compared with group DW. Also, no evidence for a diltiazem withdrawal response was found, because group DW did not have either a higher SVR index (P = 0.99) or a higher pulmonary vascular resistance index (P = 0.99) compared with group R, and no severe myocardial ischemia, coronary artery spasm, or postoperative heart block were seen. Plasma diltiazem concentrations decreased significantly during CPB (P less than 0.0001), but showed overlap between groups D and DW. Plasma diltiazem concentration did not correlate significantly with simultaneous SVR. These data show the benign effects of both diltiazem administration and its acute withdrawal before coronary artery bypass surgery with high-dose fentanyl anesthesia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Larach
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Hensley
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Pae
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Derr
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000771:Anesthesia, Intravenous; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000187:drug effects; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D002496:Central Venous Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology; D004110:Diltiazem / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005996:Nitroglycerin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000187:drug effects; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D004110:Diltiazem; D005996:Nitroglycerin