Emergency management of hypertension in children

Characteristics and Outcome of Children with Wilms Tumor Requiring Intensive Care Admission in First Line Therapy

Survival rates are excellent for children with Wilms tumor (WT), yet tumor and treatment-related complications may require pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. We assessed the frequency, clinical characteristics, and outcome of children with WT requiring PICU admissions in a multicenter, retrospective study in the Netherlands. Admission reasons of unplanned PICU admissions were described in relation to treatment phase. Unplanned PICU admissions were compared to a control group of no or planned PICU admissions, with regard to patient characteristics and short and long term outcomes. In a multicenter cohort of 175 children with an underlying WT, 50 unplanned PICU admissions were registered in 33 patients. Reasons for admission were diverse and varied per treatment phase. Younger age at diagnosis, intensive chemotherapy regimens, and bilateral tumor surgery were observed in children with unplanned PICU admission versus the other WT patients. Three children required renal replacement therapy, two of which continued dialysis after PICU discharge (both with bilateral disease). Two children died during their PICU stay. During follow-up, hypertension and chronic kidney disease (18.2 vs. 4.2% and 15.2 vs. 0.7%) were more frequently observed in unplanned PICU admitted patients compared to the other patients. No significant differences in cardiac morbidity, relapse, or progression were observed. Almost 20% of children with WT required unplanned PICU admission, with young age and treatment intensity as potential risk factors. Hypertension and renal impairment were frequently observed in these patients, warranting special attention at presentation and during treatment and follow-up.

Management of Hypertensive Crises in Children: A Review of the Recent Literature

Hypertensive emergency is a life-threatening condition associated with severe hypertension and organ damage, such as neurological, renal or cardiac dysfunction. The most recent guidelines on pediatric hypertension, the 2016 European guidelines and the 2017 American guidelines, provide recommendations on the management of hypertensive emergencies, however in pediatric age robust literature is lacking and the available evidence often derives from studies conducted in adults. We reviewed PubMed and Cochrane Library from January 2017 to July 2021, using the following search terms: "hypertension" AND "treatment" AND ("emergency" OR "urgency") to identify the studies. Five studies were analyzed, according to our including criteria. According to the articles reviewed in this work, beta-blockers seem to be safe and effective in hypertensive crises, more than sodium nitroprusside, although limited data are available. Indeed, calcium-channel blockers seem to be effective and safe, in particular the use of clevidipine during the neonatal age, although limited studies are available. However, further studies should be warranted to define a univocal approach to pediatric hypertensive emergencies.

Hypertensive Crisis in Pediatric Patients: An Overview

Hypertensive crisis can be a source of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. While the epidemiology has been difficult to pinpoint, it is well-known that secondary causes of pediatric hypertension contribute to a greater incidence of hypertensive crisis in pediatrics. Hypertensive crisis may manifest with non-specific symptoms as well as distinct and acute symptoms in the presence of end-organ damage. Hypertensive emergency, the form of hypertensive crisis with end-organ damage, may present with more severe symptoms and lead to permanent organ damage. Thus, it is crucial to evaluate any pediatric patient suspected of hypertensive emergency with a thorough workup while acutely treating the elevated blood pressure in a gradual manner. Management of hypertensive crisis is chosen based on the presence of end-organ damage and can range from fast-acting intravenous medication to oral medication for less severe cases. Treatment of such demands a careful balance between decreasing blood pressure in a gradual manner while preventing damage end-organ damage. In special situations, protocols have been established for treatment of hypertensive crisis, such as in the presence of endocrinologic neoplasms, monogenic causes of hypertension, renal diseases, and cardiac disease. With the advent of telehealth, clinicians are further able to extend their reach of care to emergency settings and aid emergency medical service (EMS) providers in real time. In addition, further updates on the evolving topic of hypertension in the pediatric population and novel drug development continues to improve outcomes and efficiency in diagnosis and management of hypertension and consequent hypertensive crisis.

Hypertensive crisis in children and adolescents

Hypertensive crisis is a relatively rare condition in children. However, if not treated, it might be life-threatening and lead to irreversible damage of vital organs. Clinical presentation of patients with hypertensive crisis can vary from very mild (hypertensive urgency) to severe symptoms (hypertensive emergency) despite similarly high blood pressure (BP). Individualized assessment of patients presenting with high BP with emphasis on the evaluation of end-organ damage rather than on the specific BP number is a key in guiding physician's initial management of a hypertensive crisis. The main aim of the treatment of hypertensive crisis is the prevention or treatment of life-threatening complications of hypertension-induced organ dysfunction, including neurologic, ophthalmologic, renal, and cardiac complications. While the treatment strategy must be directed toward the immediate reduction of BP to reduce the hypertensive damage to these organs, it should not be at a too fast rate to cause hypoperfusion of vital organs by an excessively rapid reduction of BP. Thus, intravenous continuous infusions rather than intravenous boluses of antihypertensive medications should be the preferable mode of initial treatment of children with hypertensive emergency.

Epidemiology and Management of Children with Hypertensive Crisis: A Single-Center Experience

Most children who present with hypertensive crisis have a secondary cause for hypertension. This study describes the epidemiology and management of children with hypertensive crisis. A retrospective cohort study was done in a tertiary pediatric hospital from 2009 to 2015. Thirty-seven patients were treated for hypertensive crisis. Twelve (32.4%) patients were treated for hypertensive emergency. The majority of our patients (33 [89.1%]) had a secondary cause of hypertension. The most common identifiable cause of hypertension was a renal pathology (18/37 [48.6%]). Oral nifedipine (23 [62.1%]) was the most frequently used antihypertensive, followed by intravenous labetalol (8 [21.6%]). There were no mortalities or morbidities. Hypertensive crisis in children is likely secondary in nature. Oral nifedipine and intravenous labetalol are both effective treatments.

Unilateral renal artery stenosis presented with hyponatremic-hypertensive syndrome - case report and literature review

Background

Renal artery stenosis is one of the secondary causes of pediatric hypertension. Cases with critical unilateral renal artery stenosis manifesting with the hyponatremic hypertensive syndrome are rare and a comprehensive description of this disorder in the pediatric population is lacking in the literature.

Case presentation

We describe a 4-year-old boy who presented with severe hypertension, profound hyponatremia, hypokalemia, nephrotic range proteinuria, and polyuria. Distinctly, the diagnosis of hyponatremic hypertensive syndrome secondary to unilateral renal artery stenosis was confirmed in light of laboratory and radiographic findings of severe natriuresis, elevated renin, and unilateral small kidney. Two weeks following nephrectomy, there was resolution of hyponatremia, hypokalemia, nephrotic range proteinuria and hypertension.

Conclusions

Findings of hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hypertension, polyuria, and unilateral renal hypoplasia can be attributed to a unifying pathology of unilateral renal artery stenosis.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12882-019-1246-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of metoprolol infusion for children and adolescents with hypertensive crises: a retrospective case series

BACKGROUND

Acute severe hypertension occurs infrequently in pediatric patients and, consequently, data on the efficacy and safety of most antihypertensive agents, as well as the adverse events associated with these agents, are very limited in this population. In this case series, we evaluated the use of metoprolol infusion in children with hypertensive emergencies.

METHODS

The study population comprised children younger than 18 years who had been admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at King Abdullah University Hospital with blood pressure above the 99th percentile for age, height, and sex and who were symptomatic at the time of presentation. Metoprolol was given as an infusion at a dose of 1-5 mcg/kg/min. The rate of decrease in blood pressure, side effects from the medication, and outcome were assessed.

RESULTS

Thirteen patients ranging in age from 2 months to 16 years were included in this study. The initial mean blood pressure was 23-75 mmHg above the 99th percentile for age, height, and sex. Metoprolol was initiated at a dose of 0.5 mcg/kg/min and titrated according to the target blood pressure to a maximum of 5 mcg/kg/min. Mean blood pressure fell by an average of 12.3, 20.4, and 27.1% at 1, 8, and 24 h, respectively, which is consistent with findings on the use of other intravenous medications reported in published studies. The heart rate did not decrease below the normal range for age. There were no significant side effects of the metoprolol infusion. All patients were discharged home with no neurological sequelae secondary to their hypertension.

CONCLUSION

An infusion of metoprolol for a hypertensive emergency is a safe and effective treatment for pediatric patients.

Therapy of acute hypertension in hospitalized children and adolescents

Acute hypertension (HTN) in hospitalized children and adolescents occurs relatively frequently, and in some cases, if not recognized and treated promptly, it can lead to hypertensive crisis with potentially significant morbidity and mortality. In contrast to adults, where acute HTN is most likely due to uncontrolled primary HTN, children and adolescents with acute HTN are more likely to have secondary HTN. This review will briefly cover evaluation of acute HTN and various age-specific etiologies of secondary HTN and provide more in-depth discussion on treatment targets, potential risks of acute HTN therapy, and available pediatric data on intravenous and oral antihypertensive agents, and it proposes treatment schema including unique therapy of specific secondary HTN scenarios.