Hypertensive Emergencies
Nov 07, 2024
Hypertensive emergencies are defined as sudden and prolonged increases in the arterial blood pressure, with associated organ damage. The degree of increase above that which the patient normally has, and the degree and duration of the rise are not usually taken into account.
No single figure for blood pressure is usually defined, however if a single figure was important, we should be concerned with readings of :
- Systolic Blood Pressure > 180mmHg and /or
- Diastolic Blood Pressure > 120mmHg
Below we will look at each potential emergency and the treatment for it.
Rate of Blood Pressure reduction
As a general rule(ie not the exceptions below), blood pressure should be reduced by <25% within the first hour.
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