Pattern of Blood Pressure Response in Patients With Severe Asymptomatic Hypertension Treated in the Emergency Department

Severe asymptomatic hypertension (SAH) is a common cause of emergency department (ED) visits. Despite recommendations against using short-acting blood pressure (BP)–lowering drugs in the ED, it is still a common practice. The authors characterized BP response in the ED utilizing 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM). Patients with SAH who were not admitted to the hospital were recruited. All patients underwent 24-hour ABPM. A total of 21 patients (14 females) with a mean age of 58±16 years were studied. BP decreased from 199±16/101±17 mm Hg to 154±34/83±23 mm Hg after 5 hours but then rose to 174±25/94±17 mm Hg after 19 hours. In 17 patients, systolic BP was ≥180 mm Hg after 6.7±5.3 hours. Two patients experienced severe hypotension (systolic BP <90 mm Hg). Thus, data from a single site in Israel support the current recommendations for management of SAH in the ED.