Postponement of Operations

Changes of arterial blood pressure (ABP) and heart rate (HR) occurring during anesthesia and in the immediate postoperative period were recorded in three groups composed of 30 hypertensive patients each, having noncardiac surgery. Group 1 was untreated, group 2 received 100 mg of phenytoin orally the evening before and on the morning of the operation, whereas group 3 received 200 mg of phenytoin orally at the same intervals. During anesthesia and in the recovery room, there were more moderate and severe alterations of ABP and HR in the control group than in the treated grups, with the only statistically significant differences being those between group 1 and group 3. This pattern continued for up to 24 hours after surgery. The administration of 200 mg of phenytoin orally the night before and on the morning of surgery seems to provide greater hemodynamic stability to mildly hypertensive patients during the surgical and anesthetic experiences.