REBEL Core Cast 53.0 – Hypertensive Encephalopathy

Take Home Points

  • Altered mental status has numerous possible etiologies. Splitting it into vital sign issues, toxic/metabolic, infectious processes, CNS issues (bleed, mass) and psych/dementia is a good way to organize your thoughts
  • Hypertensive encephalopathy is a diagnosis of exclusion – make sure you’re not dealing with another process like meningitis or an intracranial hemorrhage
  • Once the diagnosis of hypertensive encephalopathy is made, shoot to lower the SBP by about 20-25% over the hour using a drug like nicardipine, clevidipine or labetalol

Take Home Points

  • Altered mental status has numerous possible etiologies. Splitting it into vital sign issues, toxic/metabolic, infectious processes, CNS issues (bleed, mass) and psych/dementia is a good way to organize your thoughts
  • Hypertensive encephalopathy is a diagnosis of exclusion – make sure you’re not dealing with another process like meningitis or an intracranial hemorrhage
  • Once the diagnosis of hypertensive encephalopathy is made, shoot to lower the SBP by about 20-25% over the hour using a drug like nicardipine, clevidipine or labetalol

REBEL Core Cast 53.0 – Hypertensive Encephalopathy

Post Peer Reviewed By: Salim R. Rezaie, MD (Twitter: @srrezaie)

The post REBEL Core Cast 53.0 – Hypertensive Encephalopathy appeared first on REBEL EM - Emergency Medicine Blog.

Translation missing: en.general.buttons.article_previous Translation missing: en.general.buttons.article_next

0 comments