title: Assessment and management of hypertension in the acute ischemic stroke patient.
abstract: The assessment and treatment of hypertension in the patient with acute ischemic stroke is a controversial issue in the overall management of such patients. The primary physiologic and pathologic concepts at the core of the issue are autoregulatory failure and shift, cytotoxic and vasogenic edema, vascular pathology and hemorrhage. Clues about the interrelationships of these factors to hypertension in the acute stroke patient are available to the nurse. By integrating pathophysiologic concepts with knowledge gained during assessment of stroke onset, patient history and clinical presentation, the nurse is better prepared to monitor and provide care for the acute stroke patient.
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Virginia Hospitals, Neuroscience Center, Richmond, Virginia 23298-5961, USA.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Shephard
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Fox
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000451:nursing* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000451:nursing / Q000503:physiopathology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000451:nursing* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000451:nursing* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010348:Patient Care Team; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology