Understanding Blood Pressure Control Factors in Acute Stroke

Several measures of blood pressure (BP) control have been used including time to reach target BP, maintaining BP within target range, reducing BP fluctuation, achieving goals with monotherapy and avoiding multiple anti-hypertensive agents, achieving goals with minimum dose adjustments, avoiding discontinuation due to side effects, and preventing hypotension. There are multiple methods of quantifying these measures. The clinical relevance of various measures particularly relationship with acute kidney injury, and death or disability in patients with acute stroke or traumatic brain injury is not well understood. A better understanding of these measures is essential to identify the ideal therapeutic agent and for comparison of effectiveness between various antihypertensive agents. Dr Nick Morris is joined by Dr Ali Seifi, Director of Neuro ICU at University of Texas Health whose session at the Meeting focused on the need to review existing data to evaluate the relationship between various measures of BP control and acute kidney injury and death or disability in stroke patients.