Hypertensive Emergencies and Urgencies: A Clinical Guide

Hypertension being a common medical condition is resulting in increased hospital admissions worldwide and, moreover, hyper­ tensive emergencies and urgencies have led to an increment in critical care patients. It is, therefore, evident that urgent diag nosis and immediate and appropriate treatment of these con ditions is paramount in reducing mortality and morbidity. Manifestations of the hypertensive emergencies and urgen­ cies may vary depending on the target organ that is affected. Fortunately, more effective and relatively safe drugs are available, nowadays, to lower blood pressure (BP) quickly in these life­ threa tening situations. Critical care physicians should be familiar with all pharmacological and clinical actions of the medications avai lable in treating these hypertensive emer gencies, along with the appropriateness of the choice of medication in any given situation. The purpose of review is to understand the therapeutic inter ventions in treating a hypertensive crisis.