Conclusions
In therapeutics, new drugs do not necessarily have advantages over the parent compounds. This is not true with the new beta-adrenergic antagonists -cardio-selective agents are less likely to cause bronchospasm in patients suffering from asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; agents with partial agonist activities are safer in patients who have ventricular dysfunction, atrioventricular conduction delay, bronchial asthma, and peripheral vascular complications; and poor lipid-solubility together with elimination via the renal route have improved the duration of action. However, protection against these complications is not complete; dependence on renal excretion has made adjustment of the dose in patients with renal dysfunction mandatory; and propranolol is still the only agent available for intravenous administration. These agents are not entirely free of the side-effects attributed to propranolol. Surgical patients treated with the newly introduced beta-adrenergic antagonists deserve the same anaesthetic care as that delineated for patients treated with propranolol.
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Chung, D.C., Laschuk, M.J. The new beta-adrenergic antagonists. Can Anaesth Soc J 31, 430–433 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03015419
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03015419