Esmolol prevents hemodynamic response during cervical plexus block anesthesia of thyroid surgery

Objective To determine whether the bolus administration of esmolol can prevent hemodynamic response during the cervical plexus block anesthesia of thyroid surgery. Methods Twenty six patients were divided into two groups randomly. Esmolol group was given single bolus administration of 2 mg/kg esmolol when blood pressure rose above 1.33 kPa and control group was given normal saline. The variation of heart rate and mean arterial pressure were recorded and compared with those of the baseline levels. Results Esmolol group: the mean heart rate variation was 2.0% ±3.9% , and that of the control group 20.1%±3.5%;the mean variation of mean arterial pressure was -2.4% ±2.5% , and that of the control group 10.7%±2.5%. There were remarkable differences between the two groups( P 0.01 ). Esmolol can prevent heart rate variation more than the arterial pressure variation. No case of bradycardia or hypotension was observed after administration of esmolol. Conclusion A 2 mg/kg bolus esmolol single intravenous injection is effective and safe for preventing the hemodynamic response in cervical plexus block anesthesia of thyroid surgery.