Usefulness of Short-Acting β₁ Selective Blocker (Landiolol Hydrochloride) for Postoperative Tachyarrhythmia after Radical Operation of Esophageal Cancer

Ryo Seishima, Kazuo Koyanagi¹⁾, Motohito Nakagawa, Takeshi Nagase, Koji Okabayashi, Satoshi Tabuchi¹⁾, Soji Ozawa²⁾ and Toshio Kanai

Department of Surgery, Hiratsuka City Hospital
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center¹⁾
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine²⁾

Tachyarrhythmia is a major complication after radical esophageal cancer surgery. We report five such cases in which short-acting β₁ selective blocker (landiolol hydrochloride) successfully improved the abnormal heart rate. Preoperative electrocardiography and echocardiography were normal in all subjects. Tachyarrhythmia occurred on postoperative day (POD) 2 or 3. In the first two cases, landiolol hydrochloride was administered after other antiarrhythmic agents such as digitalis and verapamil failed. It was administered as the initial drug in the last three cases. The landiolol hydrochloride dose was 20 μg/kg/min in the first case as a recommendation, and 2 μg/kg/min in the others. The heart rate markedly decreased within a few minutes and systolic blood pressure was unchanged during landiolol hydrochloride administration in all cases. The half-life of landiolol hydrochloride is about 3-4 minutes, which makes it superior in drug administration, and may be useful for managing tachyarrhythmia caused by surgery for esophageal cancer.

Key words
β₁ selective blocker, tachyarrhythmia, esophageal cancer

Reprint requests
Ryo Seishima Department of Surgery, Nerima General Hospital
1-24-1 Asahigaoka, Nerima-ku, 176-8530 JAPAN

Accepted
February 17, 2010

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