Bolus administration of esmolol for the treatment of intraoperative myocardial ischaemia.

We report the successful treatment with esmolol of intraoperative myocardial ischaemia associated with concurrent hypertension and tachycardia, in a patient with risk factors for coronary artery disease undergoing peripheral vascular surgery. The pathophysiology of myocardial ischaemia, and the therapeutic role of beta blocking drugs are briefly reviewed. Esmolol, a short-acting cardioselective beta blocking drug, was administered in a bolus of 1.5 mg.kg-1, and resulted in prompt resolution of the haemodynamic abnormalities, with concomitant restitution of the ST segments to isoelectric baseline. We conclude that bolus administration of esmolol is practical and can be effective for the treatment of intraoperative myocardial ischaemia.