Blood pressure documentation in the emergency department

Relationship between noninvasive central blood pressure and brain natriuretic peptide levels in patients with hypertensive pulmonary edema

OBJECTIVE

Hypertensive pulmonary edema is a fatal condition unless early and properly diagnosed and managed. Central blood pressure (cBP) has been proven to be more associated with adverse cardiovascular events. We aimed to study the correlation between cBP and heart damage in patients with Hypertensive pulmonary edema.

METHODS

We included 50 patients admitted to the emergency department in a university hospital for hypertensive pulmonary edema, 27 women and 23 men aged 50 to 70 years. We excluded patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome, significant valvular heart disease, and pericardial diseases. We measured cBP non-invasively from pulse wave analysis of the brachial artery. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cBP were repeatedly measured for every patient.

RESULTS

The median BNP levels of patients significantly decreased from 284 pg/ml (232-352.5) to 31.5 pg/ml (24-54) on discharge, P < 0.001. We found a significant correlation between admission BNP and central SBP (cSBP), urea, creatinine, arterial blood gases parameters, and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD). Concurrently, BNP at discharge was correlated with age, central DBP (cDBP), urea, creatinine, LVEDD, partial oxygen pressure (pO2), and oxygen saturation (SO2). Delta BNP was correlated with cSBP, peripheral SBP, urea, creatinine, pO2, and SO2. Linear regression analysis revealed that creatinine, and cSBP, were independent predictors of admission BNP, while urea and cDBP were the independent predictors of discharge BNP.

CONCLUSION

This simple, noninvasive method of cBP measurement was significantly associated with the extent of myocardial damage in patients presenting with hypertensive pulmonary edema.

Blood pressure management in emergency department patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage

INTRODUCTION

Despite the well documented importance of blood pressure management in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), little is known about whether emergency departments (EDs) are able to achieve close monitoring and precise management. Our study characterizes ED monitoring and management of blood pressure in sICH patients.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study of adults with sICH and elevated intracranial pressure. Patients who were admitted from any referring ED to our CCRU from 1 August 2013 to 30 September 2015 were included. We graphically assessed the association between average minutes between blood pressure measurements and average minutes between administration of antihypertensives. We also performed logistic regression to evaluate factors associated with close blood pressure monitoring and the achievement of goal blood pressure in patients with sICH who presented with hypertension.

RESULTS

Of 115 patients, 73 presented to the ED with SBP above 160 mmHg. Length of stay in the ED was significantly associated with a longer period between blood pressure measurements. Longer periods between blood pressure measurements were a significant determinant of failure to achieve blood pressure goal in sICH patients. Longer periods between blood pressure measurements were significantly associated with longer periods between administration of antihypertensives.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that blood pressure monitoring is related to the frequency of blood pressure interventions and achievement of adequate blood pressure control in patients with sICH. There is significant variability in EDs' achievement of the recommended close blood pressure monitoring and management in patients with sICH.

DISABKIDS® in Brazil: advances and future perspectives for the production of scientific knowledge

Objective:

to map the Brazilian scientific production related to the stages of the methodological process for the use of DISABKIDS^® instruments and/or forms adapted to Brazil.

Method:

scoping review, with searches conducted on10 electronic databases, plus Google Scholar and contacts with researchers, without restriction of period or language.

Results:

the mapping identified 90 scientific studies involving 46 instruments. Of these, 11 (23.9%) included the elaboration and/or cultural adaptation of the DISABKIDS^® instruments to measure the Quality of Life of children or adolescents with chronic conditions and 35 (76.1%) used the Generic Measures and/or Specific Modules for the semantic validation of other instruments.

Conclusion:

this scoping review allowed a comprehensive evaluation of the use of the DISABKIDS^® instrument and forms, in relation to the validation of the instrument adapted to Brazil, presenting a positive advance in the scenario with the development of academic/scientific projects in the country, incorporating the method recommended by the literature for the elaboration, cultural adaptation and validation of instruments and for the systematized and standardized recording of the perception and understanding of the target population about the measure of interest, using DISABKIDS^® forms adapted for this purpose.

Association of blood pressure documentation with adverse outcomes in an emergency department in Brazil

OBJECTIVE

To associate blood pressure (BP) documentation with adverse outcomes in an emergency department (ED).

METHODS

This is a retrospective observational study, and 642 records of patients admitted to the ED of a tertiary hospital in Brazil were used. We included medical records of patients of both sexes aged over 18 years, who were allocated in general wards in the period December 2015-June 2016. Association between BP measurements with length of stay (LOS), worsening of clinical presentation, unplanned patient transfer, readmission, stroke or transient ischemic attack, cardiorespiratory arrest, and death were investigated.

RESULTS

Association was observed between worsening of clinical presentation and systolic (p = 0.003) or diastolic (p = 0.001) BP values. The association between LOS and worsening of clinical presentation with the number of BP measurements or mean time between BP measurements was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Unplanned patient transfer was associated with an increase in the number of BP measurements (p < 0.001). The mean time between BP measurements was higher among patients who returned to the ED within 48-72 h (p = 0.030).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study showed association between BP documentation with adverse outcomes in the ED, reinforcing the need to develop educational strategies regarding nursing records and monitoring of vital signs.