HYPERTENSIVE CRISIS-MANAGEMENT

SUMMARY

1. Treatment goal is a controlled, steady decrease of the diastolic BP to 100-105 mmHg within 2-6 hours.

2. Generally, IV agents are used (e.g., nitroprusside, nicardipine, labetalol) because oral drugs reduce the BP in a less rapid and less predictable way.

3. Rapid drop in BP may cause an ischemic stroke or MI.

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].