Effect of Prophylactic Labetalol on Hemodynamics during Nasal Septal Cartilage Harvesting in Rhinoplasty
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51985/Keywords:
Blood pressure, controlled hypotension, heart rate, labetalol, rhinoplasty, septal harvestingAbstract
Objective: to evaluate the effect of prophylactic intravenous labetalol (5mg), administered two minutes before septal harvesting, on intraoperative blood pressure and heart rate in rhinoplasty procedures.
Study Design & Settings: Retrospective observational study conducted at Care Medical Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 1 January 2025 to 30 June 2025.
Methodology: Fifty ASA I and II patients (aged 20-45 years) undergoing rhinoplasty with septal harvesting were included. Labetalol (5 mg IV) was administered two minutes before harvesting. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate were recorded at three intervals: pre-labetalol, two minutes post-administration, and post-harvesting. Surgical field quality and haemostasis were evaluated using surgeon-reported subjective assessments.
Results: Prophylactic labetalol effectively reduced intraoperative elevations in BP and HR in 80% of cases, with significant drops in systolic blood pressure (from 85 ± 3 to 82 ± 3 mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (from 45 ± 2 to 43 ± 2 mmHg), and heart rate (from 65 ± 3 to 63 ± 3 bpm) within two minutes. These values stayed within 5% of baseline at the end of harvesting, indicating stable and adequate hemodynamics. Surgeons noted improved visibility, less bleeding, and faster septal harvesting in patients who received labetalol.
Conclusion: Prophylactic low-dose intravenous labetalol reliably controls and stabilises intraoperative hemodynamics, while improving surgical field conditions during septal harvesting in rhinoplasty. Its favourable safety and performance profile support its use as a helpful adjunct in nasal surgeries. Further randomised trials are needed to validate these findings and compare the safety of labetalol to that of other agents
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