International angiology : a journal of the International Union of Angiology
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Incidence of myocardial ischemia during carotid endarterectomy.
Since patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy often suffer from coronary artery disease, the detection, adequate treatment and prevention of intra and postoperative myocardial ischemia are a major concern. Effectively, the deleterious effects of intraoperative ischemic episodes have been largely documented. ⋯ However, with this approach, the incidence of intraoperative ischemic episodes remains high in patients suffering from disabling angina pectoris. In such cases, prophylactic i.v. nitroglycerin, administered continuously at the dose of 0.7 microgram/kg-1/min-1, optimizes myocardial oxygenation during surgery and minimizes the risk of intraoperative myocardial ischemia.