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. 2022 Nov;13(6):701-706.
doi: 10.1177/21501351221111797.

Treatment of Post-Coarctectomy Hypertension With Labetalol-A 9-Year Single-Center Experience

Carolien Siersma  1 , Carole N M Brouwer  1 , Vladimir Sojak  2 , Arend D J Ten Harkel  3 , Peter P Roeleveld  1
Affiliations

Treatment of Post-Coarctectomy Hypertension With Labetalol-A 9-Year Single-Center Experience

Carolien Siersma et al. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg. 2022 Nov.

Abstract

Background: Although considering the pathophysiology of post-coarctectomy hypertension, β-blockers should be effective, experience with labetalol for treatment is limited in the literature.

Methods: Retrospective collection and analysis of data in children aged ≤6 years following coarctectomy in our tertiary care university medical center between January 2009 and June 2018.

Results: 96 patients were included, 45 were treated with intravenous labetalol and 51 received no treatment. Median time to maximum dose received (median 1.1 mg/kg/h) was 2.7 h, and median time to the reduction of labetalol dose was 8.3 h. No antihypertensives had to be added. In one child, labetalol was switched to nitroprusside due to bronchoconstriction. Of patients receiving intravenous labetalol, 48% had been switched to oral labetalol at discharge.

Conclusions: Intravenous labetalol is a fast, effective, and safe drug to treat hypertension following aortic coarctation repair. Labetalol is easily converted to oral therapy when the continuation of treatment is considered necessary.

Keywords: aortic operation; coarctation; congenital heart surgery; database; intensive care; pediatric.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram of patients included in the study. Abbreviations: ABP, arterial blood pressure; NICU, neonatal intensive care unit.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Systolic arterial blood pressure (ABP) in children with and without labetalol. The boxes represent Q1 to Q3 with the median, whiskers to Q1 minus 1.5 IQR and Q3 plus 1.5 IQR, and open dots representing the outliers.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Mean systolic arterial blood pressure (ABP) and heart rate in children with and without labetalol.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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