Antihypertensives Are Administered Selectively in Emergency Department Patients with Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Elevated blood pressure is common in patients with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). American Heart Association guidelines do not specify a blood pressure target, but limited data suggest that systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥160 mmHg is associated with increased risk of rebleeding and neurologic decline. In a population-based study, we determined the frequency of antihypertensive therapy in emergency department (ED) patients with SAH and the proportion of those patients with SBP ≥160 mmHg who received this therapy. In 2005, nontraumatic SAH cases were retrospectively ascertained at 16 hospitals in our region by screening for International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision diagnostic codes 430-436. Blood pressure was recorded at ED presentation and also before and after any treatment with antihypertensives. Hypotension was defined as SBP