The journal of clinical hypertension
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J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) · Jan 2010
Treatment of hypertension in the inpatient setting: use of intravenous labetalol and hydralazine.
Acute blood pressure elevations are commonly treated in hospitalized patients. There are no guidelines for appropriate practice and no evidence that such treatment is useful. The authors performed a retrospective review of medical and pharmacy records to determine how often intravenous hydralazine and labetalol are ordered and administered. ⋯ For patients for whom labetalol was ordered, patients receiving at least 1 dose had an LOS of 11.8+/-16.1 days vs 7.9+/-10.4 days for those who did not receive a dose (P<.001). Treatment of elevated blood pressure in in-patients is a common practice. The authors suggest that evidence is needed to determine whether the practice is of benefit.