Retrospective Evaluation of Nicardipine Versus Labetalol for Blood Pressure Control in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

• Published in: Neurocritical care 2012-06, Vol.16 (3), p.376-380
• Main Authors: Woloszyn, Amanda V., McAllen, Karen J., Figueroa, Bryan E., DeShane, Robert S., Barletta, Jeffrey F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Aneurysm; Aneurysms; Antihypertensive Agents - administration & dosage; Arterial lines; Blood pressure; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Cardiac arrhythmia; Clinical outcomes; Critical Care - methods; Critical Care Medicine; Data processing; Demography; Drug dosages; Female; Heart; Heart rate; Hemorrhage; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension - drug therapy; Hypertension - etiology; Hypotension; Intensive; Internal Medicine; Ischemia; Labetalol - administration & dosage; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Mortality; Neurology; Nicardipine - administration & dosage; Original Article; Patients; Retrospective Studies; Stroke; Stroke - complications; subarachnoid hemorrhage; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage - complications; Transient ischemic attack; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1541-6933; 1556-0961
• DOI: 10.1007/s12028-012-9700-6

Background American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines for management of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) recommend blood pressure (BP) control, utilizing labetalol or nicardipine, but do not differentiate efficacy between the two agents. The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare BP control between labetalol and nicardipine in patients following aSAH. Methods Consecutive adult patients admitted to the ICU with a diagnosis of SAH treated with labetalol or nicardipine were retrospectively identified. Patients were included if they received more than one bolus dose of labetalol or a nicardipine infusion for greater than 3 h. Patients were excluded if they were