Practice-Pattern Variation in Neurocritical Care Blood Pressure Control Reveals Opportunities for Improved Long-Term...

Uncontrolled hypertension is a risk factor of heart attack, stroke, dementia, and other conditions. In outpatients with hypertension, blood pressure (BP) may be controlled at only 30%-50% of visits depending on the population studied. Hospital admission is ideal for achieving guideline-directed BP targets, given the resource-intensive environment. We evaluated the relationship between BP control performance during neurocritical care and hospital admission and rates of uncontrolled hypertension at discharge and over the subsequent 2 years.

This two-center retrospective cohort included adults admitted with any neurologic illness to an neurosciences intensive care unit (NeuroICU) from April 2016 to December 2022, transferred to a neurology general care unit, and then discharged to home or rehabilitation. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP (SBP) ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic BP (DBP) ≥90 mm Hg. The primary outcomes were rates of hypertension at hospital discharge through 2 years after discharge. Multivariable logistic and generalized additive models were developed to assess the association between NeuroICU BP control and persistent hypertension, adjusting for baseline covariates, NeuroICU length of stay, performance measures quantifying BP goals, and antihypertensive medication intensity on transferring from the NeuroICU.

Of 13,711 admissions, 10,836 met inclusion criteria and 3,075 (28.3%) were hypertensive at hospital discharge. Each 10-mm Hg SBP increase at NeuroICU transfer was associated with 1.60-fold increased odds of uncontrolled hypertension at discharge (95% CI 1.56-1.64). In multivariate analysis controlling for covariates, hypertension at transfer remained independently associated with hypertension at discharge (adjusted odds ratio 3.85, 95% CI 3.47-4.28). The association persisted through 24 months after discharge, even among those without a history of hypertension, among those admitted to the hospital normotensive, or when adjusting for antihypertensive therapy intensity. The association persisted across a range of principal diagnoses and across institutions, although practice-pattern variation yielded significant differences between institutions.

Hypertension at NeuroICU transfer was independently associated with uncontrolled hypertension through hospital discharge and the subsequent 2 years, independent of patient diagnosis, medical history, institution, and treatment intensity. The initial hospitalization represents an opportunity to achieve and maintain guideline-directed BP targets to reduce secondary cerebrovascular events, dementia, and cardiovascular complications. Further studies are needed to determine whether improving rates of BP control at NeuroICU transfer and discharge leads to long-term improvements in BP control.