Hypertensive Urgencies in the Emergency Department: Evaluating Blood Pressure Response to Rest and to Antihypertensive Drugs With Different Profiles

549 patients admitted to the emergency department with hypertensive urgencies

Initial 30-minute rest period, followed by random assignment to an oral dose of an antihypertensive drug (perindopril, amlodipine, or labetalol) for patients who did not respond to rest

Active comparators (perindopril, amlodipine, and labetalol compared against each other in rest-nonresponders)

Satisfactory blood pressure response (defined as postintervention systolic blood pressure < 180 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure < 110 mm Hg, with at least a 20 mm Hg reduction in basal systolic blood pressure and/or a 10-mm Hg reduction in basal diastolic blood pressure) at 60- and 120-minute intervalssurrogate