Nitroglycerin relieves laryngospasm

Two young healthy non-asthmatic non-smoking patients developed partial laryngospasm directly post-anaesthesia extubation after routine varicocelectomy and perianal abscess drainage operations under general anaesthesia. Nitroglycerin was administered intravenously in a dose of 4 microg/kg for both cases. The laryngospasm was completely relieved within a minute of nitroglycerin administration in both cases and the relief was maintained thereafter. The two cases suggest that nitroglycerin can be effective in the treatment of post-extubation partial laryngospasm in ASA (class I) patients.