The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 29, 378-380, Copyright © 1980 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Propranolol: an unrecognized cause of central nervous system dysfunction in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass
A Lieberman, I Kronzon, S Colvin, J Lowenstein and I Lieberman
An organic mental syndrome developed in a patient soon after he underwent
repair of a dissecting thoracic aortic aneurysm. The operation was
accomplished with cardiopulmonary bypass. Initially, the mental changes
were thought to be related to the operation. However, they subsequently
were shown to be associated with propranolol. The potential role of
propranolol in inducing central nervous system disturbances is emphasized,
and the literature on the subject is reviewed.