Continuous-Infusion Labetalol vs Nicardipine for Hypertension Management in Stroke Patients

Labetalol and nicardipine are antihypertensives commonly used in the management of elevated blood pressure (BP) following an acute stroke, but there is limited evidence to suggest which agent as a continuous infusion should be used preferentially in this setting.

This study aimed to compare the safety, efficacy, and ease of administration of continuous-infusion labetalol with continuous-infusion nicardipine following an acute stroke.

This retrospective cohort study of patients with acute ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage included patients if they received either study agent within 24 hours of admission. The primary outcome was percent time spent at goal BP. Secondary outcomes included time to goal BP, the number of dose adjustments, and use of rescue antihypertensives.

The analysis included 99 patients who received labetalol- (n = 34) or nicardipine- (n = 65) continuous infusions. Intracerebral hemorrhage was the most common stroke subset (n = 81) followed by acute ischemic stroke (n = 18). There was no statistical difference in time at goal BP (labetalol 68.0%, nicardipine 67.0%; P = .885), rescue antihypertensive use (labetalol 14.7%, nicardipine 24.6%; P = .2570), time spent 10% above or below mean systolic BP (labetalol 35.5%, nicardipine 33.5%; P = .885), time to goal BP (labetalol 81.4 minutes, nicardipine 56.3 minutes; P = .162), and mean number of dose adjustments (labetalol 5.9, nicardipine 6.9; P = .262).

Labetalol- and nicardipine-continuous infusions were comparable in the studied safety and efficacy outcomes including time at goal and BP variability. Further prospective studies are needed to validate these safety and efficacy findings and to assess clinical outcomes.