May 20, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Enalapril is an intravenously administered ACE inhibitor. This medication reduces renin-dependent vasopressor activity, blocks the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II and blocks the degradation of bradykinin.

May 19, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Labetalol has minimal effect on cerebral circulation and is thus not associated with an increase in ICP in the normal brain. The drug has minimal placental transfer and has been used effectively in pregnancy-associated hypertension.

May 18, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
In contrast to traditional beta-blockers, labetalol is associated with the preservation of cardiac output. The hypotensive effect of labetalol has an onset of 2-5 minutes, peak effect at 5-15 minutes and duration of 2-6 hours.

May 17, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Labetalol acts as an alpha- and nonselective beta-adrenergic blocker. The blood pressure-lowering effect is produced through a reduction in systemic vascular resistance without a compensatory increase in heart rate.

May 16, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Esmolol reduces blood pressure, heart rate and cardiac output and must be avoided in patients with bradycardia or impaired left ventricular function. It is rapidly cleared by red blood cell esterases and is independent of renal or hepatic function.

May 15, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Esmolol is a short-acting, cardioselective beta-blocker with a rapid onset and short duration of action (10-20 minutes) that is only administered by continuous infusion. The short half-life requires bolus administration with each infusion titration.

May 14, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Dihydropyridines calcium channel blockers (e.g., Nicardipine, Clevidipine) are selective to vascular smooth muscle over the myocardium. Thus, they have little effect on heart rate and no effect on myocardial contractility.

May 13, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Nitroglycerin is a coronary vascular dilator and a systemic venodilator that reduces myocardial preload. Nitroglycerin demonstrates arterial smooth muscle effects only at higher-dose infusions and headache is the most common adverse effect.

May 12, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Sodium nitroprusside is a arterial and venous vasodilator that reduces preload and afterload. It was once the gold standard for the treatment of hypertensive emergency because of its short duration of action, allowing careful titration.

May 11, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Hypertension can occur in pregnant women or women in the postpartum period. Acute severe hypertension in the second half of gestation may occur in preeclampsia, gestational hypertension or HELLP syndrome.

May 10, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
The withdrawal of certain medications can be associated with a hypertensive crisis. Rapid withdrawal of clonidine has been associated with a hyperadrenergic state characterized by hypertension, diaphoresis, headache and anxiety.

May 9, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
The preferred agents for the treatment of hypertension resulting from pheochromocytoma are nitroprusside and phentolamine, a potent alpha-adrenergic antagonist. If necessary, phentolamine can be combined with a beta-blocker.

May 8, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Pheochromocytoma results in the production of circulating catecholamines, which causes hypertension, diaphoresis, tachycardia and paresthesias of the hands and feet. The classic triad includes headaches, palpitations and diaphoresis.

May 7, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Scleroderma renal crisis is characterized by acute renal failure associated with the abrupt onset of moderate to severe hypertension, elevated plasma renin activity and a normal to minimally abnormal urine sediment.

May 6, 2025

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
The kidney is both a source of mediators that promote hypertension (angiotensin II) and a target of high systemic arterial pressure. Chronic hypertension is second to diabetes mellitus as a primary cause of renal insufficiency.