More than 3 million patients yearly receive an intravenous antihypertensive agent in the US. Despite this large number of critically ill patients treated annually, little research exists in the area of acute severe hypertension, specifically hypertensive emergency, a serious condition that contributes to morbidity and mortality.
Two agents that are commonly used to treat acute hypertensive crisis include labetalol and nicardipine. Cardene may provide benefits in titration and has shown to have lower dosage adjustments compared to labetalol. Nicardipine has also shown a decreased need for additional antihypertensives when compared to labetalol in patients with stroke in a neurological ICU.
