| Description |
Hypotension is a common problem encountered during induction of general anesthesia and more common in patients with a history of hypertension. Hypertension affects 60 million people in the United States.1 The main treatment for hypertension, when diet and exercise is less effective, is pharmacological therapy. Commonly used medications are angiotension converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotension II receptor blockers (ARBs). Patients taking these medications have a greater risk of hypotension that is resistant to common therapies of fluid boluses, ephedrine, and phenylephrine. In patients taking these medications, vasopressin has been shown to be a valuable alternative to increase blood pressure .2,3 |
