[Landiolol prevented myocardial ischemia in a patient with severe aortic stenosis undergoing total gastrectomy]

Gastric cancer was detected in a 71-year-old man with severe aortic stenosis. According to ACC/AHA guidelines, aortic stenosis in the patient was so severe that noncardiac surgery was considered appropriate only after aortic valve replacement. However, due to uncontrollable hemorrhage from gastric cancer, total gastrectomy was urgently required. Surgery was performed under epidural and general anesthesia. Blood pressure and heart rate were stable during anesthetic induction, tracheal intubation and skin incision. Just after peritoneal incision, however, ST decreased significantly following hypertension and sinus tachycardia, which were controllable by deepening of the anesthetic level. This ST depression was dependent on heart rate but not blood pressure. Therefore, in order to control the heart rate and prevent myocardial ischemia, low dose landiolol was infused prophylactically. This agent regulated the heart rate below 85 beats per minute without inducing hypotension and prevented myocardial ischemia during the remaining anesthetic course including extubation and recovery from anesthesia. Although beta blocker is not generally recommended in patients with aortic stenosis, present case suggests that landiolol is effective and useful to prevent cardiac ischemia even in a patient with severe aortic stenosis.