Clinical Features and Management of Selected Hypertensive Emergencies

Abstract

A hypertensive emergency, defined as an elevated blood pressure with evidence of acute target organ damage, can manifest in many forms, including neurological, cardiac, renal, and obstetric. After diagnosis, effective parenteral antihypertensive therapy (typically, nitroprusside starting at 0.5 μg/kg/min, but some physicians prefer fenoldopam or nicardipine) should be given in the hospital. In general, blood pressure should be reduced about 10% during the first hour and another 15% gradually over 2–3 more hours. The exception is aortic dissection, for which treatment includes a β blocker, and the target is systolic blood pressure <120 mm Hg after 20 minutes. Oral antihypertensive therapy can usually be instituted after 6–12 hours of parenteral therapy. Consideration should be given to secondary causes of hypertension after transfer from the intensive care unit. Because of advances in antihypertensive therapy and management, “malignant hypertension” should be malignant no longer.