Neurocritical care
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Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is one of the most disabling forms of stroke. Intensive lowering of blood pressure (BP) has been postulated as one of the therapies that can improve functional outcomes. However, this intensive reduction is not always achieved. We aimed to study the differences between patients in whom intensive BP lowering was achieved during the first 24 h after admission and those in whom this BP lowering was not possible. ⋯ In this study, the intensive BP-lowering goal was not achieved in about half of the patients with ICH, despite the high proportion of patients receiving antihypertensive medications. This group of patients had poorer outcomes and higher mortality rates at 3 months. High BP at presentation may be difficult to control in patients with high clinical severity of ICH despite aggressive management.