Severe hypertension in the emergency department patient

Severely elevated blood pressure is a common clinical problem encountered in the Emergency Department. It is often difficult for physicians to differentiate between patients who need emergent blood pressure reduction, requiring the use of intravenous agents and intensive monitoring, and those for whom careful, slow reduction in BP is more appropriate. The optimal assessment and management of these patients is reviewed here, with an emphasis on clinical strategies that will most efficiently identify those at greatest risk.