Effects of esmolol continuous infusion on blood loss in patients undergoing posterior lumbar internal fixation surgery: A prospective randomized study.

Objective: To determine the intravenous (i.v.) dose of esmolol needed to attenuate blood loss in patients undergoing posterior lumbar internal fixation (PLIF) surgery.

Methods: This study randomized patients to either the E5 or E10 group. Patients in the E5 group received a 0.25 mg/kg i.v. loading dose of esmolol before anaesthesia, followed by an infusion of 5 µg/kg/min throughout the operation. Patients in the E10 group received a 0.5 mg/kg i.v. loading dose of esmolol before anaesthesia, followed by an infusion of 10 µg/kg/min throughout the operation.

Results: The study analysed 33 patients: 16 in the E5 group and 17 in the E10 group. The mean ± SD blood loss at the end of surgery was significantly greater in the E5 than E10 group (586.3 ± 160.1 versus 347.7 ± 138.0 ml, respectively). The total amount of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) used was significantly higher in the E5 than E10 group at 8 (26.1 ± 12.0 versus 17.5 ± 8.3 ml, respectively), 24 (58.4 ± 21.3 versus 44.1 ± 16.2 ml, respectively) and 48 h after surgery (90.0 ± 22.5 versus 69.3 ± 22.1 ml, respectively).

Conclusion: A continuous infusion of 10 µg/kg/min of esmolol can safely reduce blood loss during PLIF surgery. It was also shown to reduce postoperative PCA consumption.