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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Intracerebral Hemorrhage Evacuation
Published on: October 15, 2021
Optimal achieved blood pressure in acute intracerebral hemorrhage: INTERACT2
Hisatomi Arima1, Emma Heeley1, Candice Delcourt1
1From The George Institute for Global Health (H.A., E.H., C.D., Y.H., X.W., M.W., J.C., C.S.A.), University of Sydney and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia; Department of Cardiovascular Sciences and NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Cardiovascular Disease (T.R.), University of Leicester, UK; Department of Neurology (C.S.), APHP, Hôpital Lariboisière and DHU NeuroVasc Paris, Sorbonne, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France; Department of Neurology (M.P.), John Hunter Hospital, University of Newcastle, Australia; Servicio de Neurología (P.M.L.), Departamento de Medicina, Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago; Departamento de Ciencias Neurológicas (P.M.L.), Universidad de Chile, Santiago; Department of Neurology (Y.H.), Peking University First Hospital, Beijing; and The Shanghai Institute of Hypertension (J.W.), Rui Jin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
Objectives:
To investigate the effects of intensive blood pressure (BP) lowering according to baseline BP levels and optimal achieved BP levels in patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).
Methods:
INTERACT2 was an open, blinded endpoint, randomized controlled trial in 2,839 patients with ICH within 6 hours of onset and elevated systolic BP (SBP) (150-220 mm Hg) who were allocated to receive intensive (target SBP <140 mm Hg within 1 hour, with lower limit of 130 mm Hg for treatment cessation) or guideline-recommended (target SBP <180 mm Hg) BP-lowering treatment. Outcome was physical function across all 7 levels of the modified Rankin Scale at 90 days.
Results:
Analysis of the randomized comparisons showed that intensive BP lowering produced comparable benefits on physical function at 90 days in 5 subgroups defined by baseline SBP of <160, 160-169, 170-179, 180-189, and ≥190 mm Hg (p homogeneity = 0.790). Analyses of achieved BP showed linear increases in the risk of physical dysfunction for achieved SBP above 130 mm Hg for both hyperacute (1-24 hours) and acute (2-7 days) phases while modest increases were also observed for achieved SBP below 130 mm Hg.
Conclusions:
Intensive BP lowering appears beneficial across a wide range of baseline SBP levels, and target SBP level of 130-139 mm Hg is likely to provide maximum benefit in acute ICH.
Classification Of Evidence:
This study provides Class I evidence that the effect of intensive BP lowering on physical function is not influenced by baseline BP.
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Special considerations while measuring blood pressure
Monitoring Both Arms:
Monitoring BP in both arms during the initial assessment is advisable, as the systolic value may differ by five to ten mm Hg between arms. For subsequent BP assessments, use the arm with the higher reading.

