Hypertension is the most common comorbid condition that emergency physicians encounter. “We all know what to do in the case of an emergency … but some emergency physicians are not well-versed on what to do if high blood pressure is severe but no emergency is occurring,” said Philip H. Shayne, MD, FACEP, program director of emergency medicine at Emory University in Atlanta.

During his session, “Hypertensive Emergencies: Drugs, Drips, and Drops,” Dr. Shayne will convey insights from national guidelines published by ACEP and the National Institutes of Health. “They provide a rational approach on how to care for each individual patient; physicians should not react instinctively to severe numbers,” he said. “A key strategy is to determine if a patient’s blood pressure is severe, urgent, or emergent and then create a treatment plan based on their scenario, not solely their blood pressure reading.” He’ll highlight common hypertensive emergencies and what antihypertensive drip medications to use, the danger of overtreating patients, and useful pearls and pitfalls with this patient population.

Dr. Shayne has presented on this topic throughout his career. “I live in the center of the stroke belt,” he said. “We see many patients with particularly high hypertension. I also work at an inner-city hospital where a lot of people don’t get treatment [for hypertension], and there are many hypertensive presentations.”

Philip H. Shayne, MD, FACEP

Hypertensive Emergencies:

Drugs, Drips, and Drops
Wednesday, Nov. 1
11–11:25 a.m.
WCC, Room 146B