
Blood pressure that remains above a goal despite taking 3 antihypertensive medications or high blood pressure that requires 4+ medications to control it is called resistant high blood pressure. The American Heart Association and UAB positions have issued new guidelines on specialized diagnostic and therapeutic treatment that may benefit patients
These guidelines require the patient to use less salt, lose weight and drink was alcohol. It also requires physicians to diagnose better and treat secondary causes of high blood pressure more effectively with multiple drug treatments.
The A&D Medical Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring System (ABPM) will allow health care professionals to automatically monitor a patient’s blood pressure throughout the day. ABPM therapy can help differentiate hypertension from white coat hypertension and the data generated can be used to adjust patient medication levels. This compact monitor has sophisticated tracking capabilities to measure blood pressure and pulse trends.
Central blood pressure assessment refers to measuring blood pressure in large blood vessels within the body. Physician office equipment for central blood pressure assessment includes tubes called catheters that can be advanced into a body cavity and introduced into a large blood vessel to measure a variety of factors such as vessel stiffness.
Central blood pressure assessment gives physicians a more complete picture of patient blood pressure, blood vessel and heart function and can help identify patients at risk for serious problems such as stroke and congestive heart failure. Central blood pressure assessment is also a valuable tool for doctors to use in evaluating the effectiveness of medical office therapy.
There are 2 risk factors associated with resistant hypertension, old age and obesity, unfortunately with a population aging and becoming heavier doctors can anticipate resistant hypertension becoming more and more common. People just are not realizing the importance of blood pressure control. Higher risk for cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes are more common in people with resistant hypertension.
It is very important understand that uncontrolled hypertension and resistant hypertension are not the same thing. Physicians need to effectively evaluate a patient to distinguish between the two for a successful treatment.
It is very important to evaluate the condition correctly because often, patients with resistant hypertension have other medical conditions that complicate their blood pressure management. If a secondary cause of hypertension is identified such as obstructive sleep apnea, renal parenchymal disease, primary aldosteronism or renal artery stenosis, treating these disorders, which may require referral to a specialist, can improve blood pressure control. The ABPM can be of great help in determining diagnosis and treatment.