Do visits to the ED improve outcomes in asymptomatic patients presenting with hypertensive urgency in the office setting?
Referring asymptomatic patients with hypertensive urgency from the office to the ED is associated with increased hospitalizations without improving clinical outcomes or long-term blood pressure control.
Hypertensive urgency is common, but the rate of MACE in asymptomatic patients is very low. Visits to the ED were associated with more hospitalizations, but not improved outcomes. Most patients still had uncontrolled hypertension 6 months later.
Patel et al. (2016) studied this question.