Treatment for complicated hypertensive crisis prior to hospital admission

Abstract

The effects of parenteral enaprilat were evaluated in hypertensive crisis (HC) with cerebral (hypertensive encephalopathy, stroke, transient ischemic attack) or cardiac (acute left ventricular failure, unstable angina) complications. The study covered 190 patients whose mean age was 64.8 years; there were 46 males and 144 females. Cerebral complications due to HC were observed in 119 patients; its cardiac complications were in 71. The decrease in blood pressure (BP) by 15-30 % of the baseline values with achieved diastolic BP less than 110 mm Hg was a criterion for the efficiency of therapy. Changes in clinical symptoms and outcomes were also taken into account. The treatment caused a significant decrease In BP and effective in 64, 80, 74, 72, and 82 % of the patients, respectively. Thus, the study demonstrated that intravenous enaprilat was highly effective in complicated arterial hypertension.