Abstract
Suppression of the sympathetic nerve activity and stimulation of the vagus nerve in anesthetic management is known to be cardioprotective. However, excessive activation of the vagus nerve may induce hemodynamic collapse. Thus, it is very important to maintain the appropriate balance of activity of the sympathetic and the vagus nerves. It has been well elucidated that there are several signal transduction components in the heart following activation of the sympathetic and the vagus nerves. I suggest that the combination of activation and inhibition of these components by specific pharmacological agents may be a future style of myocardial protection during perioperative management.
