Key result
IV sodium nitroprusside safely manages hypertensive emergencies, avoiding the excessive BP drops of oral therapy.
Why the study?
Does intravenous sodium nitroprusside provide safer and more reliable blood pressure reduction than oral therapy in patients with hypertensive crises?
Does intravenous sodium nitroprusside provide safer and more reliable blood pressure reduction than oral therapy in patients with hypertensive crises?
Intravenous sodium nitroprusside is preferred over oral therapy for hypertensive emergencies due to its reliability and safety in titrating blood pressure.
Supports IV nitroprusside preference in hypertensive emergencies; leaves open need for contemporary RCTs on oral regimens.
The availability of potent antihypertensive drugs that will decrease markedly elevated blood pressure within minutes to hours has changed the concepts of definition and therapy of hypertensive emergencies and urgencies. Intravenous infusion of sodium nitroprusside can be used in the truly emergent situation and is effective, reliable, and safe. While oral therapy is more convenient, it is not as consistently effective as parenteral administration and can lead to excessive reductions in blood pressure that are more difficult to manage than when short-acting agents are given intravenously. (JAMA. 1991;266:829-835)
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R. W. Gifford (1991) conducted a review in Hypertensive crises. Intravenous infusion of sodium nitroprusside vs. Oral therapy was evaluated. Intravenous infusion of sodium nitroprusside is effective and safe for hypertensive emergencies, whereas oral therapy is less consistently effective and can lead to excessive blood pressure reductions.
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