Potential Blood Pressure Thresholds and Outcome in Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background: Little is known about the relationships between different systolic blood pressure (SBP) thresholds and their outcomes in acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We aimed to determine the associations of potential systolic blood pressure (SBP) thresholds with hematoma growth (HG) and clinical outcome in patients with acute ICH. Methods: 117 patients with acute (<6 h) spontaneous supratentorial ICH underwent blood pressure monitoring at 15 min interval over the first 24 h. SBP thresholds of 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, and 200 mm Hg were assessed by means of the percentage of 24-hour values exceeding each threshold (SBP load). HG at 24 h, early neurological deterioration (END), 24-hour and 90-day mortality, and poor outcome were recorded. Results: SBP 170, 180, 190, and 200 loads were significantly correlated with the amount of both absolute and relative hematoma enlargement at 24 h. In multivariate analyses, SBP 170 load was related to HG and END, while SBP 160 load was associated with mortality at 24 h. No thresholds were independently related to outcomes at 90 days. Conclusion: In patients with acute ICH, SBP lowering to at least less than 160 mm Hg threshold may be needed to minimize the deleterious effect of high SBP on 24-hour outcomes. (C) 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel