Bradycardia caused by intravenous nicardipine in an elderly patient with acute ischemic infarct

Nicardipine is a dihydropyridine calcium-channel blocker that is frequently used in the acute treatment of hypertension in the emergency department (ED). Reflex sympathetic tachycardia is a well-described side effect of this medication. Two experimental studies and 1 anesthesia case report, however, have previously described nicardipine-induced bradycardia as a very rare side effect. We report the case of an elderly patient with an acute ischemic stroke who developed nicardipine-induced bradycardia in the ED.