Scope of Application
This guideline is intended for physicians working in emergency departments.
Inclusion Criteria
This guideline is intended for patients aged 18 years or older who present to the ED with asymptomatic elevated blood pressure without signs and symptoms of acute target organ injury.
Exclusion Criteria
This guideline is not intended to address the care of patients who present to the ED with signs or symptoms of acute hypertensive emergencies (ie, patients with clinical findings that suggest acute target organ injury such as acute stroke, cardiac ischemia, pulmonary edema, encephalopathy, and congestive heart failure), pregnant patients, those with end-stage renal insufficiency, emergent conditions that are likely to cause elevated blood pressure not directly related to acute target organ injury (eg, trauma, other pain syndromes), and acute presentations of serious medical conditions associated with hypertension such as stroke, myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure.
In ED patients with asymptomatic elevated blood pressure, does screening for target organ injury reduce rates of adverse outcomes?
In patients with asymptomatic markedly elevated blood pressure, does ED medical intervention reduce rates of adverse outcomes?