UMEM Educational Pearls

In a cohort of  93,512 ED patients discharged with a diagnosis of hypertension there were 4400 who received a prescription for antihypertensives. The group receiving a prescription had fewer 30 day revisits and adverse events such as MI, CHF, etc. 

Previous study’s have found it is safe to prescribe antihypertensives from the ED. 

 This study is limited by the fact it is not a randomized control trial and there are many variables as to why the select patients received prescriptions  

The authors conclude: “Prescription antihypertensive therapy for discharged ED patients is associated with a 30-day decrease in severe adverse events and ED revisit rate.”

References

Antihypertensive prescription is associated with improved 30-day outcomes for discharged hypertensive emergency department patients

Brett R. Todd MDYuying Xing PhDLili Zhao PhDAn Nguyen MDRobert Swor DOLauren EberhardtAmit Bahl MD

Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians OpenVolume 5, Issue 2 e13138

https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.13138