Labetalol and esmolol in the control of hypertension after intracranial surgery.

The postoperative course of patients emerging from general anesthesia after intracranial surgery is frequently complicated by hypertension. This study examined the comparative efficacy of esmolol and labetalol in treating increases in blood pressure during emergence and recovery from anesthesia after intracranial surgery. Both esmolol and labetalol were equally effective in controlling systolic blood pressure on emergence and in the recovery room in patients undergoing intracranial surgery. However, decreases in heart rate were significantly more frequent in the immediate postoperative period in patients given labetalol. An increase in blood pressure after intracranial surgery appears to be a transitory phenomenon adequately treated with a short-acting antihypertensive agent such as esmolol.