LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Year : 2013  |  Volume : 45  |  Issue : 2  |  Page : 204

Author's reply

Narendranath Sanji¹, Padmanabha Kaimar², Madhusudan Upadya², K Riaz Mohammed^2
1 Department of Pharmacology, JJM Medical College, Davangere, Karnataka, India
² Department of Anaesthesiology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka, India

Correspondence Address:
Narendranath Sanji
Department of Pharmacology, JJM Medical College, Davangere, Karnataka
India

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None

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1. The control group included normotensive patients (ASA-1) and the study group consisted of hypertensive patients on antihypertensives (ASA-2).
2. The hypertensive patients included in the study were on antihypertensives for at least 2 weeks prior to surgery. The increased requirement of mephentermine in patients on CCBs was an incidental finding at the end of the study, when the results were being analyzed. As far as the upper age limit and the inclusion of equal number of females in all the three groups are concerned, it could not be implemented because of various practical constraints.
3. Regarding the query on exclusion criteria, all the mentioned factors were considered before including the patients for the study.
4. The antihypertensive drugs were administered on the day of surgery.
5. Pre anaesthetic medications were not used in the study.
6. The association between heart rate and hypotension was not analyzed. A heart rate of 50/min was considered as bradycardia, because in this institute the practice is that atropine is injected when the heart rate drops to 50/min.
7. Regarding the drop in blood pressure, it is 30% from the baseline, but by pure oversight it is mentioned as 20% at one place.
8. We regret this error, made by oversight.
9. We have mentioned these findings as they are relevant to the drug groups under evaluation in our study.
10. The data obtained could benefit the frail patients where the anticipated changes in BP and HR could help avert these complications.