Current hypertension reports
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Curr. Hypertens. Rep. · Nov 2019
ReviewHypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Future Maternal Health: How Can the Evidence Guide Postpartum Management?
To review the postpartum management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. ⋯ Hypertensive disorders are associated with an increased risk of future cardiovascular disease; however, there is a poor understanding of the underlying mechanisms and few recommendations to guide care in the postpartum period. Recent studies have shown high rates of masked hypertension and home blood pressure monitoring in the first year postpartum may be a promising opportunity to monitor health given evidence of high maternal adherence to this approach. In longer term, women with a history of a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy have higher blood pressures, increased risk of metabolic syndrome, and perhaps excess diastolic dysfunction. Triaging risk and improving handoff from the obstetrician to the primary care provider or subspecialist should be a priority in this population. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy remain an untapped opportunity to identify excess cardiovascular risk in affected women at a time when mitigating that risk during the reproductive years has the potential to improve future pregnancy health as well as improve women's long-term cardiometabolic health.
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Curr. Hypertens. Rep. · Jun 2019
ReviewAn Unmet Need Meets an Untapped Resource: Pharmacist-Led Pathways for Hypertension Management for Emergency Department Patients.
The purpose of this review is to describe the role of the pharmacist in innovative pathways of care for hypertension (HTN) management for emergency department (ED) patients, particularly in under-resourced communities. Due to intersecting socioeconomic and personal health risk factors, these patients bear a disproportionate share of cardiovascular disease, yet often have limited access to high-quality primary care. ⋯ Recent meta-analyses demonstrate a clear advantage associated with pharmacist-physician collaborative models over traditional physician-only care in achieving blood pressure control. However, no prior study has evaluated use of pharmacist-led follow-up for ED patients with uncontrolled blood pressure (BP). Thus, we developed a pharmacist-driven transitional care clinic (TCC) that utilizes a collaborative practice agreement with ED physicians to improve HTN management for ED patients. We have successfully implemented the TCC in a high-volume urban ED and in a pilot study have shown clinically relevant BP reductions with our collaborative model. The use of pharmacist-led follow-up for HTN management is highly effective. Novel programs such as our TCC, which extend the reach of such a model to ED patients, are promising, and future studies should focus on implementation through larger, multicenter, randomized trials. However, to be most effective, policy advocacy is needed to expand pharmacist prescriptive authority and develop innovative financial models to incentivize this practice.
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Curr. Hypertens. Rep. · Feb 2019
ReviewImplementing Home Blood Pressure Monitoring into Clinical Practice.
To review data supporting the use of home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) and provide practical guidance to clinicians wishing to incorporate HBPM into their practice. ⋯ HBPM more accurately reflects the risk of cardiovascular events than office blood pressure measurement. In addition, there is high-quality evidence that HBPM combined with clinical support improves blood pressure control. Therefore, HBPM is increasingly recommended by guidelines to confirm the diagnosis of hypertension and evaluate the efficacy of blood pressure-lowering medications. Nevertheless, HBPM use remains low due to barriers from the patient, clinician, and healthcare system level. Understanding these barriers is crucial for developing strategies to effectively implement HBPM into routine clinical practice. HBPM is a valuable adjunct to office blood pressure measurement for diagnosing hypertension and guiding antihypertensive therapy. Following recommended best practices can facilitate the successful implementation of HBPM and impact how hypertension is managed in the primary care setting.
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Curr. Hypertens. Rep. · Jul 2018
ReviewEvaluation and Management of Stage 2 Hypertension in Pediatric Patients.
To update the definition and clinical practice of stage 2 hypertension (HTN) in pediatrics. ⋯ The 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guideline (AAP CPG) for Screening and Management of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescent includes new normative blood pressure tables for children and adolescents ages 1 to 17 years and new definitions for stage 2 HTN. This review will highlight these aspects as well as new recommendations in the guideline specific to stage 2 HTN. It will outline how the new guideline differs from the previous 2004 guideline, the implications of these differences, and suggested changes in evaluation and management of stage 2 HTN. Lastly, the review will address topics relevant to daily clinical practice including competitive athletic participation, investigation for secondary HTN and HTN comorbidities, and blood pressure-lowering therapy. With the publication of the new AAP CPG introducing revised normative tables, the prevalence of stage 2 HTN in pediatrics is expected to rise. Based on the new guidelines, there is less emphasis on investigation for secondary HTN and more attention to lifestyle modifications for primary HTN. Future research should address whether there is BP level within the stage 2 HTN range above which the approach to evaluation and management should be altered in this heterogeneous patient population.
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Curr. Hypertens. Rep. · Apr 2018
ReviewInstitutional Pathways to Improve Care of Patients with Elevated Blood Pressure in the Emergency Department.
Hypertension (HTN) is the most prevalent cardiovascular disease and poses a major population level risk to long-term health outcomes. Despite this critical importance, and the widespread availability of effective and affordable medications, blood pressure (BP) remains uncontrolled in up to 50% of the diagnosed patients. This problem is exacerbated in communities with limited access to primary care, who often utilize hospital emergency departments (EDs) as their primary healthcare resource. Despite the ubiquity of patients presenting to EDs with severely elevated BP, a unified, evidence-based approach is not yet widely implemented, and both under- and overtreatment are common. The purpose of this review is to describe an approach towards institutional policy regarding asymptomatic HTN, in which we will translate the accepted principles of appropriate outpatient BP management to ED and inpatient settings. ⋯ Results from the recent SPRINT trial, and the subsequent publication of the American Heart Association updated guidelines for the treatment of HTN, significantly lower both the diagnostic threshold and the treatment goals for hypertensive patients. This change will drastically increase the proportion of patients presenting to EDs with newly diagnosed and uncontrolled HTN. Several recent studies emphasize the safety in outpatient management of patients with severely elevated BP in the absence of acute end-organ damage and, conversely, the long- and intermediate-term risk associated with these patients. System-based approaches, particularly those led by non-physicians, have shown the greatest promise in reducing population level uncontrolled HTN. Evidence-based approaches, such as those described in emergency medicine and cardiology society guidelines, can guide appropriate management of ED and inpatient BP elevations. Translating these patient oriented guidelines into institutional policy, and maintaining provider adherence, is a challenge across healthcare institutions. We present here several examples of successful policies developed and implemented by the authors. While brief inpatient and ED encounters cannot replace long-term outpatient care, they have the potential to serve as a crucial inlet to health care and an opportunity to optimize care.