A randomized study was performed on 104 patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting to examine whether the infusion of nifedipine (n = 53) reduces the incidence of perioperative myocardial ischemia and necrosis in the early postoperative period. Continuous hemodynamic and three-channel Holter monitoring was performed for 24 hours and serial assessment of serum enzymes and 12-lead electrocardiography were performed for 36 hours postoperatively. Nifedipine (minimum dose, 10-mu-g/kg/hr for 24 hours) was applied from the onset of extracorporal circulation. The control group (n = 51) received nitroglycerin (minimum dose, 1-mu-g/kg/min for 24 hours). Using the combined analyses of electrocardiography and Holter recordings, myocardial ischemia was defined as being either a transient ischemic event (TIE), transient coronary spasm (TCS), or myocardial infarction (MI). The two groups did not differ with respect to preoperative New York Heart Association classification, age, history of myocardial infarction, extracorporal circulation and aortic cross-clamp time, number of distal anastomoses, or systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics. The incidence of perioperative myocardial ischemia was substantially lower in the nifedipine than in the nitroglycerin group [TIE: three of 53 patients (6%) versus nine of 50 patients (18%), p < 0.001; MI: two of 53 patients (4%) versus six of 50 patients (12%), p < 0.001; and TCS: none of 53 patients (0%) versus two of 50 patients (4%), p = NS]. In addition, the infusion of nifedipine led to a much lower extent of perioperative myocardial necrosis in comparison to the nitroglycerin group as estimated by postoperative peak values of creatine kinase (288.6 +/- 32.3 versus 440.6 +/- 76.0, p < 0.01) and creatine kinase-MB (9.7 +/- 1.1 versus 26.0 +/- 6.1, p < 0.01). In conclusion, perioperative infusion of nifedipine reduces the incidence of transient myocardial ischemia and myocardial infarction as well as the extent of myocardial necrosis in patients undergoing elective coronary bypass procedures compared with a control group receiving nitroglycerin.