Publication Date:
2014-07-13
Description:
Background Although propranolol has been accepted as a first-line drug for infantile hemangioma (IH), no study has systematically characterized changes in heart rates during long-term propranolol treatment. Objectives To evaluate the influence of a divided dose of propranolol on heart rates in IH subjects. Methods A prospective study was conducted from January 2009 to December 2013. All IH patients were administered propranolol at 0.67 mg per kilogram per day as a single dose on days 1 and 2, and gradually increased to the full dose (2mg/kg/d) on day 5, which was given in three divided doses. Heart rates were recorded before treatment and closely monitored during treatment. Heart rates in controls were monitored once a week. Results All heart rates monitored during treatment were found to be within the normal range. Fluctuations in heart rates were observed after every dose from the first day to the first dose of the sixth day; however, from the second dose of the sixth day onwards, no significant differences (p〉0.05) in heart rates were observed after every dose on successive days. During the second week of drug therapy, no significant differences in heart rates were observed at 1h after the first dose (p=1.00). Also, no significant differences (p=0.734) in heart rates were observed between patients at 1h after the first dose on Mondays versus controls from the first to sixteenth week of treatment. Conclusions A three times per day dosing regimen of propranolol had no significant sustained effects on heart rates in IH subjects. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Print ISSN:
0007-0963
Electronic ISSN:
1365-2133
Topics:
Medicine
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