Please read Dr. Heinert’s article in Current Hypertension Reports titled, Emergency Department Management of Hypertension in the Context of COVID-19.
There are 139 million emergency department (ED) visits annually in the US, and blood pressure (BP) is elevated at almost half (44%) of all ED visits — compared to 27% of primary care doctor visits. From 2006 to 2012, hypertension (HTN)-related ED visits made up 24% of all ED visits and rose 5% per year. Elevated blood pressure in the ED has been associated with subsequent incident atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), myocardial infarction, and stroke, suggesting that ED-measured blood pressure can be used as a tool to reduce HTN-related morbidity and mortality. Additionally, patients who present to the ED with consistently elevated BP (≥ two readings), are shown to maintain elevated BP outside of the ED, suggesting that their elevated BP is from HTN, and not a result of pain or anxiety from the ED visit. To read the full article.
Emergency Department Management of Hypertension in the Context of COVID-19. Heinert SW, Riggs R, Prendergast H. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2022 Feb;24(2):37-43. PMID: 35076879 PMCID: PMC8787746 DOI: 1007/s11906-022-01169-6