Comparison of Esmolol to Nitroglycerine in Controlling Hypotension during Nasal Surgery

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare esmolol to nitroglycerine in terms of effectiveness in controlling hypotension during nasal surgery. Materials and Methods: After approval by our institutional Ethics Committee, 40 patients were recruited and randomized into two drug groups: esmolol (Group E) and nitroglycerine (Group N). In group E, a bolus dose of 500 μg/kg esmolol was administered over 30 sec followed by continuous administration at a dose of 25-300 μg/kg/min to maintain systolic arterial pressure at 80 mmHg. In group N, nitroglycerine was administered at a dose of 0.5-2 μg/kg/min. Results: During the hypotensive period, systolic arterial pressure, diastolic arterial pressure, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate were decreased 24%, 33%, 27% and 35%, respectively, in group E (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001) and were decreased 30%, 33%, 34% and 23%, respectively, in group N (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001). The decrease in heart rate was higher in group E during the hypotensive period (p=0.048). During the recovery period, diastolic arterial pressure and heart rate were decreased 9% and 18%, respectively, in group E (p=0.044, p<0.001). Systolic arterial pressure, diastolic arterial pressure, and mean arterial pressure were decreased 7%, 3% and 7%, respectively, in group N (p=0.049, p=0.451, p=0.045). Conclusion: Esmolol provides hemodynamic stability and good surgical field visibility and should be considered as an alternative to nitroglycerine.