A novel pathway for the management of hypertension for hospitalized patients

Decreasing the Use of As-Needed Antihypertensive Therapy in Hospitalized Patients With Asymptomatic Hypertension

BACKGROUND

Hypertension (HTN) is common in the inpatient setting, with many patients receiving as-needed (PRN) antihypertensive medications (anti-HTN) despite lack of benefit and risk of adverse events. We aimed to decrease PRN anti-HTN use in medical patients without hypertensive emergency without increasing adverse events associated with untreated HTN.

METHODS

Our multimodal quality improvement (QI) intervention, which included multidisciplinary education and changes to the admission order set in the electronic medical record, was implemented from October 2021 through December 2021. We included adult medical patients with elevated blood pressure (BP) (systolic ≥130 mm Hg or diastolic ≥80 mm Hg) for evaluation of PRN anti-HTN use in pre- and postintervention periods. We excluded patients with admission diagnoses of hypertensive emergency and those requiring conservative BP management.

RESULTS

Postintervention, the proportion of admissions with PRN anti-HTN use decreased by 53% for orders and 29% for administrations. Adverse events due to PRN anti-HTN use were more common than those due to untreated HTN (4% vs. 0.3%), and complications related to untreated HTN did not increase postintervention.

CONCLUSIONS

Our multimodal, multidisciplinary QI initiative was associated with decreased use of PRN anti-HTN in hospitalized medical patients and did not increase adverse events attributable to untreated HTN.

Hypertension in the hospitalized patient: An update

In-patient hypertension is a common problem seen in the hospital setting. Current evidence-based guidelines define and address management of hypertension in ambulatory care and hypertensive emergencies in the hospital setting. However, they lack guidance for the management of acute asymptomatic/non-emergent hypertension in the hospitalised patient. The risk-benefit of treating inpatient asymptomatic hypertension is largely unknown. In this narrative review, we discuss current evidence-based perspectives to address this clinical entity.

Impact of Intravenous Antihypertensives on Outcomes Among Hospitalized Patients

BACKGROUND

Many hospitalized patients with acute elevations in blood pressure (BP) are treated with intravenous (IV) antihypertensive medications without evidence of benefit. This study investigated the effects of IV as-needed (PRN) antihypertensives on BP, hospital length of stay, and mortality.

METHODS

We included hospitalized patients with an order for an IV PRN antihypertensive medication. We excluded patients with target organ damage. We performed multivariate analysis to assess whether the medication was independently associated with outcomes.

RESULTS

1,784 out of 5,680 patients (31%) had an administration of the PRN medication. Patients who received the medication had a longer hospital stay compared with patients with an order for the medication who did not receive it (4.9 ± 6.1 vs. 3.1 ± 4.1 days, P < 0.001). This remained statistically significant after adjusting for covariates. In-hospital mortality was higher in the group that received the medication (3.3% vs. 1.6%, P < 0.001), but this was not statistically significant on multivariate analysis. IV hydralazine caused the most significant reduction in BP and led to a shorter length of stay when compared with enalapril and labetalol. A total of 62% of patients received the medication for a systolic BP lower than 180 mm Hg.

CONCLUSIONS

Treating hypertension in the in-patient setting remains complex. Rapid lowering of BP can cause harm to patients, and this study showed that antihypertensive medication increased hospital length of stay. Once assuring no target organ damage, a strategic approach should be to treat modifiable factors and gradually reduce BP.

Hypertension in the hospitalized patient: An update

In-patient hypertension is a common problem seen in the hospital setting. Current evidence-based guidelines define and address management of hypertension in ambulatory care and hypertensive emergencies in the hospital setting. However, they lack guidance for the management of acute asymptomatic/non-emergent hypertension in the hospitalised patient. The risk-benefit of treating inpatient asymptomatic hypertension is largely unknown. In this narrative review, we discuss current evidence-based perspectives to address this clinical entity.

Pathway for the Management of Sleep Apnea in the Cardiac Patient

Sleep-disordered breathing is a highly prevalent medical condition, which if undiagnosed leads to increased morbidity and mortality, particularly related to increased incidence of cardiovascular events. It is therefore imperative that we identify patient population at high risk for sleep apnea and refer them to the appropriate therapy as early as possible. Up-to-date there is no management guideline specifically geared towards cardiac patients. Thus, we propose a (SAP) Sleep Apnea Pathway to correctly identify and triage these patients to the appropriate therapy.

As-needed intravenous antihypertensive therapy and blood pressure control

BACKGROUND

Hospitalized patients with elevated blood pressure (BP) in most cases should be treated with intensification of oral regimens, but are often given intravenous (IV) antihypertensives.

OBJECTIVE

To determine frequency of prescribing and administering episodic IV antihypertensives and outcomes.

DESIGN

Retrospective review.

SETTING

Urban academic hospital.

PATIENTS

Non-critically ill, hospitalized patients with an IV antihypertensive order for enalaprilat, labetalol, hydralazine, or metoprolol.

MEASUREMENTS

We analyzed BP thresholds for ordering and administering IV antihypertensives, the types and frequencies of IV antihypertensives administered, and the effect of IV antihypertensive use on short-term BP and adverse outcomes. The BP change during hospitalization was contrasted in those receiving IV antihypertensives between those who did and did not receive subsequent intensification of chronic oral antihypertensive regimens.

RESULTS

Two hundred forty-six patients had an episodic IV antihypertensive order. One hundred seventy-two patients received 458 doses, with 48% receiving a single dose. Over 98% of episodic IV antihypertensive doses were administered for systolic blood pressure (SBP) <200 mm Hg and 84.5% for SBP <180 mm Hg. Within 6 hours of administration, there was a statistically significant decline in average SBP and diastolic BP in patients receiving IV hydralazine and labetolol. After administration of IV antihypertensives, the oral inpatient medication regimen was adjusted in 52% of patients; these patients had a greater reduction in SBP from admission to discharge than patients with no change to their oral regimens. A total of 32.6% of patients receiving treatment experienced a BP reduction of more than 25% within 6 hours.

CONCLUSIONS

IV antihypertensive drugs are ordered and administered in patients with asymptomatic, uncontrolled BP for levels unassociated with substantive immediate cardiovascular risk, which may cause adverse effects.

Success in implementing a hospital-wide evidence-based clinical pathways system for the management of cardiac patients: the ACAP program experience

There is robust evidence to support the concept that critical pathways, derived from evidence-based guidelines, are an effective strategy for bridging the gap between published guidelines and clinical practice. It was with this idea in mind that in 2004 we developed an innovative novel program at our institution, that is, the "Advanced Cardiac Admission Program." The Advanced Cardiac Admission program consists of tools and strategies for implementing American College of Cardiology or American Heart Association guidelines into daily clinical practice. The program is composed of 8 novel critical pathways for the management of cardiac patients. In this article, we describe our experience in successfully implementing this program at our institutions.

Implementing a pathway for the management of acute coronary syndrome leads to improved compliance with guidelines and a decrease in angina symptoms

We describe our experience with the Advanced Cardiac Admission Program (ACAP) at our institution. The ACAP program is a hospital-wide implementation of critical pathways-based management of all cardiac patients. Data review of patients admitted for acute coronary syndromes from the ACAP-PAIN database and a comparative study of outcomes before and after implementation of the pathways-based assessment and treatment protocols. In the pre-ACAP and post-ACAP patient groups, antiplatelet use at admission improved from 50% to 75% (p<.01), ACE-I use improved from 32% to 54% (p<.0001), statins use increased from 35% to 62% (p<.0001), and smoking cessation awareness increased from 15% to 86% (p<.0001). At 1-year follow-up, 84% of patients with CAD were treated with statins, and 47% had LDL cholesterol <100 mg/dL, compared with 20% and 9%, respectively, with conventional treatment before ACAP implementation (p<.0001). Recurrent angina symptoms and nonfatal myocardial infarction rates decreased from 28.5% to 13% (p = .02), and 15% to 5% (p = 0.03), respectively. Pathway-based programs like ACAP significantly enhance administration of guidelines-based cardioprotective medications both during hospital stay and at 1-year follow-up.

Clevidipine for severe hypertension in patients with renal dysfunction: a VELOCITY trial analysis

Introduction. Acute and severe hypertension is common, especially in patients with renal dysfunction (RD). Clevidipine is a rapidly acting (t½∼1 min) intravenous (IV) dihydropyridine calcium-channel blocker metabolized by blood and tissue esterases and may be useful in patients with RD. The purpose of this analysis was to assess the safety and efficacy of clevidipine in patients with RD. Methods. VELOCITY, a multicenter open-label study of severe hypertension, enrolled 126 patients with persistent systolic blood pressure (SBP) >180 mmHg. Investigators pre-specified a SBP initial target range (ITR) for each patient to be achieved within 30 min. Blood pressure monitoring was by cuff. Clevidipine was infused via peripheral IV at 2 mg/h for at least 3 min, then doubled every 3 min as needed to a maximum of 32 mg/h (non-weightbased treat-to-target protocol). Per protocol, clevidipine was continued for at least 18 h (96 h maximum). RD was diagnosed and reported as an end-organ injury by the investigator and was defined as requiring dialysis or an initial creatinine >2.0 mg/dl. Primary endpoints were the percentage of patients within the ITR by 30 min and the percentage below the ITR after 3 min of clevidipine infusion. Results. Of the 24 patients with moderate to severe RD, most (13/24) were dialysis dependent. Forty-six percent were male, with mean age 51 >14 years; 63% were black and 96% had a hypertension history. Median time to achieve the ITR was 8.5 min. Almost 90% of patients reached the ITR in 30 min without evidence of overshoot and were maintained on clevidipine through 18 h. Most patients (88%) transitioned to oral antihypertensive therapy within 6 h of clevidipine termination. Conclusions. This report is the first demonstrating that clevidipine is safe and effective in RD complicated by severe hypertension. Prolonged infusion maintained blood pressure within a target range and allowed successful transition to oral therapy.

Pathway for the management of survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

The estimated number of out-of-hospital care arrest cases is about 300,000 per year in the United States. Two landmark studies published in 2002 demonstrated that the use of therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest decreased mortality and improved neurologic outcome. Based on these studies, the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation and the American Heart Association recommended the use of therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest. Therapeutic hypothermia is defined as a controlled lowering of core body temperature to 32 degrees C to 34 degrees C. This temperature goal represents the optimal balance between clinical effect and cardiovascular toxicity. Therapeutic hypothermia does require resources to implement-including device, close nursing care, and monitoring. It is important to select patients who have potential for benefit from this technique which is a limited resource and carries potential complications. A collaborative team approach involving physicians and nurses is critical for successful development and implementation of this kind of a protocol. In 2004, the "Advanced Cardiac Admission Program" was launched at the St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center of Columbia University in New York. The program consists of a series of projects, which have been developed to bridge the gap between published guidelines and implementation during "real world" patient care. In this article, we are reporting our latest project for the comprehensive management of survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The pathway is divided into 3 steps: Step I, From the field through the emergency department into the cardiac catherization laboratory and to the critical care unit; Step II, Induced invasive hypothermia protocol in the critical care unit (this step is divided into 3 phases: 1, invasive cooling for the first 24 hours; 2, rewarming; 3, maintenance); Step III, Management post the rewarming phase including the recommendation for out-of-hospital therapy and the ethical decision to define goal of care. We hope that this novel pathway will bridge the gap between the complex guidelines and the actual clinical practice and will improve the survival and neurologic condition of patients suffering cardiac arrest.

Novel pathway for sudden cardiac death prevention

Sudden cardiac death is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, accounting for an estimate 350,000 deaths each year. The US Congress passed a resolution in late September 2008 designating October as "National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month." In an effort to raise awareness for preventing unnecessary deaths because of sudden cardiac death, the resolution "calls upon the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities." The response from our institute was to develop a novel pathway named ESCAPE-which is an evidence-based novel pathway for low Ejection fraction and Sudden Cardiac death Awareness and Prevention Eligibility. The main objective of this program is to demonstrate that implementing a simple novel pathway for primary prevention of sudden cardiac arrest leads to an increase in the number of patients with low ejection fraction (<or=35%) referred for implantable cardioverter defibrillators therapy. The key difference of our pathway compared with prior reported algorithms is that it is initiated at imaging laboratories. The registry will consist of consecutive patients presenting to our imaging laboratories (the echocardiography, the nuclear, and the cardiac catheterization laboratories). The ESCAPE pathway defines patients' management based upon 3 key parameters: left ventricular ejection function, heart failure functional class, and an evidence of a prior myocardial infarction or coronary artery disease. We hope that this new novel pathway will help to bridge the gap between the complex guidelines and the actual clinical practice and will help to save many lives.