What Is the First-Line Treatment of Hypertensive Emergency?

Hypertensive emergency is managed in hospital, in a higher-dependency clinical setting, with continuous or near-continuous haemodynamic monitoring. The treatment approach prioritises careful, titrated blood pressure reduction to avoid abrupt haemodynamic changes.

The first-line approach centres on intravenous BP-lowering therapy using a short-acting agent, allowing close titration of the response in a monitored inpatient setting. Full agent selection, clinical criteria, and sequencing are set out in the structured protocol.