Comparative study of clonidine versus esmolol on hemodynamic responses during laparoscopic cholecystectomy

BackgroundLaparoscopic surgical procedures have various benefits to the patient in terms of decreased tissue damage, early ambulation, decreased hospital stay and reduced analgesic needs. Pneumoperitoneum with carbon dioxide (CO2) leads to stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system which can be a risk factor in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, reverse Trendelenburg position affects homeostasis in laparoscopic surgeries. In this study, we compared the efficacy of clonidine (which is α2 adrenergic agonist) versus esmolol (which is ultra short acting cardio-selective β1-receptor antagonist) on the hemodynamic response during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Materials and methodsA total of 60 patients scheduled to undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly assigned into two groups: Group C: received 2 μg/kg of clonidine diluted in 20 ml normal saline, given with slow intravenous infusion over 10 min just before induction of GA and Group E: received 1.5 mg/kg of esmolol as a loading dose over a period of 5 min just before induction of GA followed by 10 μg/kg/min as a maintenance dose throughout the procedure. No hypnotic medication was given on the evening before surgery. Systolic, diastolic, mean arterial blood pressures and heart rate were recorded at (1) baseline, (2) three minutes after endotracheal intubation, (3) before pneumoperitoneum, (4) fifteen minutes after pneumoperitoneum, (5) thirty minutes after pneumoperitoneum, (6) five minutes after release of CO2 and (7) five minutes after extubation. Degree of sedation according to Ramsay sedation score was assessed 15 min after reaching PACU.ResultsBoth groups were similar with respect to demographic data. Clonidine group showed more stability in hemodynamic responses than esmolol group in all hemodynamic variables but with more postoperative sedation.ConclusionThis study concluded that clonidine and esmolol provide hemodynamic stability in laparoscopic cholecystectomy but clonidine provides more stability with postoperative sedation.