Nifedipine for postoperative blood pressure control following coronary artery vein grafts

The drug control of raised blood pressure following coronary artery bypass grafting was studied in 20 patients during the early postoperative period. On a random basis, 10 patients were given intranasal nifedipine and 10 other patients received intranasal saline. If the systolic pressure was raised, it was treated by an infusion of sodium nitroprusside. The systolic pressure abated in those treated with nifedipine so that 7 of the 10 did not require any other treatment in the first hour. The reduction in pressure was accomplished without an increase in heart rate. The requirement for sodium nitroprusside to control the pressure was much less in the first hour postoperatively in the nifedipine treated group and at 4 hours, the effect of nifedipine was still apparent. This study demonstrates that intranasal nifedipine is an effective adjunct for controlling raised blood pressure in the early postoperative period.