[Effect of Ultra-fast-track Extubation in Cardiovascular Surgery].

Fast-track surgery has been widely implemented and allows such immediate extubation as in the operating room(OR). We retrospectively investigated the effect of routine ultra-fast-track(UFT) surgery extubating in the OR in patients undergoing cardiovascular operations. Among 333 consecutive patients, 224 (67.3%)were extubated in the OR. Five patients were re-intubated, but none were because of heart or respiratory failure. Independent predictors for failure of OR extubation were preoperative renal failure, pre-existent cerebrovascular disease, emergency surgery, and prolonged operation and/or cardiopulmonary bypass times. In patients extubated in the OR, postoperative pneumonia and delirium were less frequent, oral intake was facilitated, and lengths of stay in the intensive care unit as well as hospital were shortened. UFT in cardiovascular surgery can be safely and effectively performed in a majority of patients.

Within-Home Blood Pressure Variability on a Single Occasion Has Clinical Significance.

There is growing evidence that diversely defined blood pressure variability (BPV) is an independent predictor of hypertensive target organ damage (TOD) and cardiovascular events. Several mechanisms have been speculated to underlie episodes of increased BPV, including the impairment of autonomic or hormonal regulation, renal dysfunction, and increased arterial stiffness. Within-home BPV, defined as differences in BP values obtained on a single occasion at home, could have prognostic significance for hypertensive TOD. It is typically thought that BP values are decreased with repeated measurements on a single occasion at home, but in the present subanalysis of 4,149 J-HOP (Japan Morning Surge-Home Blood Pressure) study patients, approximately 20% of the patients' home BP values were increased or unchanged by repeated measurements on a single occasion. In addition, those patients were likely to have hypertensive TOD. Thus, home BP measurement should be taken twice or more to detect the increase trend in home BP, which has been defined as within-home BPV.

Increase Trend in Home Blood Pressure on a Single Occasion Is Associated With B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and the Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate.

BACKGROUND: Although obtaining multiple home blood pressure (HBP) measurements on a single occasion was recommended in European and Japanese hypertension guidelines, the clinical implications of the differences in BP measurements on a single occasion have been uncertain. METHODS: Here, 4,149 patients with cardiovascular risk factors were enrolled. We asked the patients to measure their HBP 3 times on a single occasion each day over a 2-week period. We evaluated the target organ damage (TOD) indicators left ventricular mass index (LVMI), urinary albumin creatinine ratio, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), N-terminal pro-BNP (NT-pro BNP), high-sensitive cardiac troponin, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba PWV), intima-media thickness, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The associations between TOD and the difference between the first home systolic BP (SBP) value and the average of the second and third home SBP values were assessed by multiple regression analyses with adjustment for covariates. RESULTS: Compared to the quintile median, the TOD of the first-quintile patients (i.e., those with elevated the second and third home SBP values compared to the first value) were significantly higher BNP, higher NT-pro BNP, higher ba PWV, and lower eGFR. In a univariate analysis of variance, compared to the median quintile, the first-quintile patients had independently and significantly higher BNP, higher NT-pro BNP, and lower eGFR. CONCLUSION: The patients with elevated the second and third home SBP values compared to the first value taken on a single occasion were likely to have deteriorated BNP, NT-pro BNP, and eGFR.

[Stuck valve detected during aortic valve replacement; report of a case].

Aortic valve replacement, ascending aorta replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting were performed in a 61-year-old woman with aortic stenosis, ascending aortic aneurysm, and angina pectoris. However, immediately after surgery, transient hypotension and pulmonary hypertension repeated every few beats.Transesophageal echocardiography revealed a stuck valve, and reimplantation was carried out. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. We present a case of successful treatment of valve dysfunction immediately after valve replacement.

Clinical implications of the change in glomerular filtration rate with adrenergic blockers in patients with morning hypertension: the Japan morning surge-1 study.

Background. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between the change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin by antihypertensive treatment. Methods. We randomized 611 treated patients with morning hypertension into either an added treatment group, for whom doxazosin was added to the current medication, or a control group, who continued their current medications. We compared the change in eGFR and urinary albumin creatinine ratio (UACR) between the groups. Results. The extent of the reduction in eGFR was significantly greater in the added treatment group than in the control group (-3.83 versus -1.08 mL/min/1.73 m(2), P = 0.001). In multivariable analyses, the change in eGFR was positively associated with the change in UACR in the added treatment group (ß = 0.20, P = 0.001), but not in the control group (ß = -0.002, P = 0.97). When the changes in eGFR were divided by each CKD stage, eGFR was significantly more decreased in stage 1 than in the other stages in the added treatment group (P < 0.001), but no differences were seen in the control group (P = 0.44). Conclusion. The reduction of eGFR could be seen only in the early stage of CKD, and this treatment appeared to have no negative effect on renal function.

Association between home arterial stiffness index and target organ damage in hypertension: comparison with pulse wave velocity and augmentation index.

OBJECTIVES: To clarify the implications of the home arterial stiffness index (HASI), we compared HASI with other arterial stiffness measures and investigated the association between HASI and hypertensive target organ damage (TOD). METHODS: We assessed brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and the carotid augmentation index (cAIx) as measures of arterial stiffness and wave reflection, and the left ventricular mass index (LVMI), carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) using ultrasonography, and the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) as measures of TOD in 356 never-treated hypertensive subjects. Home blood pressure (BP) was taken in triplicate in the morning and evening, respectively, for 14 consecutive days with a memory-equipped device. HASI was defined as 1 minus the respective regression slope of diastolic on systolic BP. RESULTS: HASI was significantly correlated with age (r = 0.32, P < 0.001), home pulse pressure (r = 0.36, P < 0.001), morning-evening difference in home systolic BP (r = -0.29, P < 0.001), baPWV (r = 0.18, P < 0.001), cAIx (r = 0.16, P = 0.002), carotid IMT (r = 0.26, P < 0.001), and UACR (r = 0.24, P < 0.001), but not with LVMI (r = 0.05, P = 0.38). After adjustment for age and sex, the significant correlation between HASI and baPWV/cAIx was lost. In multivariate regression analyses, HASI and baPWV were significantly associated with carotid IMT (standardized ß = 0.21, P<0.001; ß = 0.14, P = 0.014) and UACR (ß = 0.13, P = 0.018; ß = 0.21, P < 0.001), independently of age, sex, and home mean arterial pressure. On the other hand, cAIx was independently associated only with LVMI (ß = 0.24, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that HASI adds nothing to the existing measures of arterial stiffness, but might be a BP component that can aid in the detection of carotid atherosclerosis and renal damage, similar to PWV.

Maximum value of home blood pressure: a novel indicator of target organ damage in hypertension.

The maximum office systolic blood pressure (SBP) has been shown to be a strong predictor of cardiovascular events, independently of the mean SBP level. However, the clinical implications of maximum home SBP have never been reported. We investigated the association between the maximum home SBP and target organ damage (TOD). We assessed the left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) using ultrasonography and the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) as measures of TOD in 356 never-treated hypertensive subjects. Home BP was taken in triplicate in the morning and evening, respectively, for 14 consecutive days with a memory-equipped device. The maximum home SBP was defined as the maximum mean triplicate BP reading in the 14-day period for each individual and was significantly correlated with LVMI (r=0.51, P<0.001), carotid IMT (r=0.40, P<0.001), and UACR (r=0.29, P<0.001). The correlation coefficients with LVMI and carotid IMT were significantly larger for the maximum home SBP than the mean home SBP. In multivariate regression analyses, the maximum home SBP was independently associated with LVMI and carotid IMT, regardless of the mean home BP level. In the prediction of left ventricular hypertrophy and carotid atherosclerosis, the goodness-of-fit of the model was significantly improved when the maximum home SBP was added to the sum of the mean office and home BPs (P=0.002 and P<0.001, respectively). These findings indicate that assessment of the maximum home SBP, in addition to the mean home SBP, might increase the predictive value of hypertensive TOD in the heart and artery.

Morning hypertension assessed by home monitoring is a strong predictor of concentric left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with untreated hypertension.

This study was performed to test whether morning hypertension defined by the morning-evening difference in home blood pressure (BP) (MEdif) and the average of morning and evening BP (MEave) is a determinant of concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). The authors enrolled patients with untreated hypertension and performed echocardiography and home BP monitoring for 14 consecutive days. All patients were classified into 4 groups by the MEave and MEdif and morning hypertension was defined by MEave ≥135 mm Hg and MEdif ≥15 mm Hg. Left ventricular (LV) geometry was classified as normal, concentric remodeling, eccentric LVH, or concentric LVH. The morning hypertensive patients had a higher LV mass index and relative wall thickness than the other groups. According to multivariable logistic regression analysis, morning hypertensive patients had a significantly increased risk of the concentric LVH (odds ratio, 6.5; 95% confidence interval, 2.5-17.2; P<.001) compared with home normotensive patients with MEdif <15 mm Hg, after adjusting for confounders. Moreover, even among the home normotensives (white-coat hypertensives), patients with MEdif ≥15 mm Hg had a higher percentage of concentric remodeling than those with MEdif <15 mm Hg (32.5% vs 14.7%, P=.017). Morning hypertension defined by the MEdif and MEave is a strong determinant of concentric LVH, suggesting that this definition could be used to determine the cardiovascular risk of morning hypertension.

Impact of arterial stiffness reduction on urinary albumin excretion during antihypertensive treatment: the Japan morning Surge-1 study.

OBJECTIVES: There has been no report investigating the impact of the arterial stiffness reduction induced by antihypertensive medications on the improvement of target organ damage in hypertension. The aim of this study was to assess the association of the change in pulse wave velocity (PWV) with that in urinary albumin excretion as a measure of renal damage. METHODS: We studied 404 treated hypertensive patients (mean age, 70.5 +/- 9.5 years), who were allocated to either an active treatment group (doxazosin and atenolol when needed) or a control group. Blood pressure, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), and brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) were measured at baseline and after 6 months of treatment. RESULTS: In the total population, home/office SBP, UACR, and baPWV decreased significantly from the baseline. In multivariate regression analyses, DeltabaPWV was significantly associated with DeltaUACR, independent of Deltahome SBP (beta = 0.21, P < 0.001). When the patients were divided into a group with DeltabaPWV of at least 0 cm/s (positive DeltaPWV) and a group with DeltabaPWV of less than 0 cm/s (negative DeltaPWV), the reduction of UACR was greater in the latter group, even after adjustment for the covariates including the change in home SBP. These results were essentially the same when office SBP was entered in place of home SBP, and similar both in the active treatment group and the control group. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the arterial stiffness reduction induced by antihypertensive medications is associated with the improvement of renal damage, independent of home/office SBP reduction.

Controlling evening BP as well as morning BP is important in hypertensive patients with prediabetes/diabetes: the JMS-1 study.

BACKGROUND: The significance of home blood pressure (BP) measurement in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has not been well investigated. We aimed to test the hypotheses that home BP is more closely associated with target-organ damage than clinic BP, and that the presence of prediabetes/T2DM enhances the impact of home BP measurement. METHODS: We studied 551 hypertensives (99 diabetics and 452 nondiabetics) whose self-measured systolic BP (SBP) was >135 mm Hg while on medication. The subjects were followed for 6 months after allocation to either a control group or an active treatment group. The changes in clinic BP and home BP were analyzed in relation to the changes in the spot urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UAR). RESULTS: The extent of clinic and home BP reduction was similar between the diabetic and nondiabetic groups. The change in UAR in nondiabetics was significantly associated with the extent of SBP reduction in the clinic (r = 0.19), morning (r = 0.33), and evening (r = 0.22, all P < 0.01). In contrast, in the diabetic group, the change in UAR was significantly associated with the changes in morning SBP (r = 0.23, P = 0.02) and evening SBP (r = 0.39, P < 0.001), but not with clinic BP. The correlation with evening SBP in the diabetic group tended to be stronger than the nondiabetic group. CONCLUSIONS: In hypertensives with prediabetes/T2DM, changes in home BP were better than changes in clinic BP to predict changes in UAR. In particular, this suggests the hypothesis that aggressive control of evening home BP might be equally or more important to morning BP in hypertensives with prediabetes/T2DM.

Association between the morning-evening difference in home blood pressure and cardiac damage in untreated hypertensive patients.

OBJECTIVES: The present study investigated whether the morning-evening difference in self-measured blood pressure (BP) (MEdif) can be an independent determinant of cardiac damage in untreated hypertensive patients. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, the left ventricular (LV) mass, relative wall thickness, and diastolic function using echocardiography were assessed in 356 untreated hypertensive patients. Home BP measurements were taken in triplicate in the morning and evening, respectively, for 14 consecutive days with a memory-equipped device. Thereafter, the association between the MEdif in systolic BP (SBP) and the echocardiographic parameters was assessed. RESULTS: The MEdif in SBP was significantly correlated with LV mass index (r = 0.28, P < 0.001), relative wall thickness (r = 0.21, P < 0.001), ratio of E-wave to A-wave (r = -0.24, P < 0.001), and the deceleration time of the E-wave velocity (r = 0.23, P < 0.001). In a multivariable regression analysis, the MEdif in SBP was a significant determinant of these parameters, independent of age, sex, duration of hypertension, current smoking, habitual drinking, diabetes mellitus, the average of morning and evening SBP, and the heart rate at echo. When the MEdif in SBP was divided into quartiles, the highest quartile had increased likelihood of LV concentric hypertrophy (odds ratio = 2.63, 95% confidence interval = 1.20-5.87, P = 0.008) in comparison with the lowest quartile after adjusting for confounding factors. CONCLUSION: The MEdif is a significant determinant of LV hypertrophy, LV geometry, and diastolic function, and therefore, evaluation of the MEdif combined with the average of morning and evening SBP might be useful in the early stage assessment of hypertensive patients.

Adrenergic blockade improved insulin resistance in patients with morning hypertension: the Japan Morning Surge-1 Study.

BACKGROUND: It has been demonstrated that insulin resistance is associated with morning hypertension. We investigated the hypothesis that the lowering of morning blood pressure (BP) can improve insulin resistance in patients with morning hypertension. METHODS: In the present study, 611 treated hypertensive patients with morning hypertension were randomized into either a doxazosin group, for whom a once-daily bedtime dose of doxazosin was added to the current medication regimen, or a control group, who continued their current medication. The homeostasis model assessment of the insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was performed at baseline and the 6th month of treatment. The associations between change in HOMA-IR and changes in systolic BP (SBP) measures were assessed by multiple regression analyses with adjustment for covariates. RESULTS: HOMA-IR was significantly decreased in the doxazosin group (2.1 +/- 3.0 to 1.8 +/- 2.6, P = 0.04) but not in the control group. The change in HOMA-IR was significantly associated with the change in morning SBP (r = 0.10, P = 0.02) but not with evening SBP. In multiple regression analysis, the change in HOMA-IR was independently and significantly associated with the change in morning SBP (beta = 0.15, P = 0.016) but not with the change in evening SBP. CONCLUSION: In patients with morning hypertension, specific treatment for morning hypertension with an adrenergic blockade has a beneficial effect on insulin resistance.

Orthostatic hypertension detected by self-measured home blood pressure monitoring: a new cardiovascular risk factor for elderly hypertensives.

Orthostatic blood pressure (BP) dysregulation is a risk factor for both falls and cardiovascular events. Self-measured BP, carried out at home, is both highly reproducible and useful for evaluating antihypertensive treatment. However, there have been a few reports on the clinical implications of orthostatic BP changes in home BP monitoring (HBPM). In the baseline examination for the Japan Morning Surge-1 Study, a multicenter randomized control trial, we evaluated 605 hypertensive outpatients who had a morning systolic BP above 135 mmHg. The plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level and urinary albumin excretion were measured. When the patients were divided into 10 groups, according to orthostatic BP change evaluated by HBPM, after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index and sitting home BP level, those in the top decile (n=60, orthostatic BP increase>7.8 mmHg) had a higher urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UAR) than the lowest decile group (geometric mean [SEM range]: 209.1 [134.7-318.7] vs. 34.1 [20.1-56.2] mg/g creatinine [Cr], p=0.003) and the pooled second to ninth decile groups (n=485, 209.1 [134.7-318.7] vs. 39.7 [33.2-47.3] mg/g Cr, p<0.02). Additionally, patients in the top decile had a higher BNP level than the second to ninth decile groups (75.7 [55.0-103.1] vs. 23.6 [20.8-26.6] pg/mL, p=0.003). Evaluation of orthostatic hypertension at home might be a high-risk factor for cardiovascular events in hypertensive subjects with increased levels of BNP and a higher UAR, independent of the home sitting BP level.

Monitoring of the central pulse pressure is useful for detecting cardiac overload during antiadrenergic treatment: the Japan Morning Surge 1 study.

OBJECTIVE: Lowering of the central pulse pressure (PP) has been shown to contribute to an improvement of the cardiac damage beyond that of lowering the brachial PP. We assessed the hypothesis that the change in the central PP is more useful than that in the brachial PP in the assessment of the change in cardiac load. METHODS: We studied 434 treated hypertensive patients whose home systolic blood pressure was 135 mmHg or higher. They were followed for 6 months after allocation to either a control group or an added treatment group (doxazosin 1-4 mg and atenolol when needed). We measured the brachial and central (carotid) blood pressure simultaneously using a validated device, and the B-type natriuretic peptide at baseline and at the sixth month of treatment. RESULTS: In the added treatment group, the brachial systolic blood pressure was successfully reduced, but the central PP increased significantly, whereas the other blood pressure parameters did not change from the baseline. In the added treatment group, the change in the B-type natriuretic peptide was significantly correlated with the change in the brachial PP (r = 0.18), central systolic blood pressure (r = 0.18), central PP (r = 0.26), and PP amplification (r = -0.22) even after adjusting for the confounding factors. The correlation with the central PP was stronger than with the brachial PP (P = 0.018) or central systolic blood pressure (P = 0.002), and these relationships were essentially the same even after adjustment for the use of atenolol or the change in heart rate. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the central PP measurement may be more important to assess cardiac load than the brachial PP during antiadrenergic treatment.

Effect of doxazosin on the left ventricular structure and function in morning hypertensive patients: the Japan Morning Surge 1 study.

OBJECTIVES: Doxazosin is reported to increase the incidence of congestive heart failure. The benefits of doxazosin, for controlling morning blood pressure as well as its effect on the left ventricular structure and function, are herein examined. METHODS: In this study, 223 morning hypertensive patients were randomized into either the doxazosin group, with a once-daily bedtime dose of doxazosin, or the control group, who continued their current medication. Atenolol was added to the doxazosin group when needed. The effect of doxazosin was evaluated by measurement of echocardiographic parameters and B-type natriuretic peptide. RESULTS: The left ventricular wall thickness decreased, but the left ventricular diastolic diameter in the doxazosin group increased from the baseline. The changes in the left ventricular mass index were similar between the groups, whereas the relative wall thickness in the doxazosin group decreased more than that in the control group. The left ventricular diastolic function could deteriorate in the doxazosin group. In the doxazosin group, an increase in the left ventricular diameter was only seen in the patient who did not take diuretics throughout the study. The office and home blood pressure in the doxazosin group decreased more than that in the control group, whereas the B-type natriuretic peptide increased in the doxazosin group. Three cases of congestive heart failure were observed in the doxazosin group, but none in the control group. CONCLUSION: Although a bedtime dose of doxazosin can significantly lower the blood pressure, it can also increase left ventricular diameter, thus increasing the risk of congestive heart failure. However, the prior use of diuretics can prevent the unfavorable effects of doxazosin on the left ventricular structure.

An alpha-adrenergic blocker titrated by self-measured blood pressure recordings lowered blood pressure and microalbuminuria in patients with morning hypertension: the Japan Morning Surge-1 Study.

BACKGROUND: The impact on microalbuminuria of strict treatment aimed at lowering of self-measured morning blood pressure using an adrenergic blockade is unclear. METHODS: We conducted an open-label multicenter trial, the Japan Morning Surge-1 Study, that enrolled 611 hypertensive patients, whose self-measured morning systolic blood pressure levels were more than 135 mmHg while taking antihypertensive drugs. These were randomly allocated to an experimental group, whose members received bedtime administration of 1-4 mg doxazosin (doxazosin group) or a control group whose members continued without any add-on medication (control group). The urinary albumin/creatinine ratio was investigated at the baseline and 6 months after the randomization. RESULTS: Both the morning and evening blood pressures and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (-3.4 vs. 0.0 mg/gCr for urinary albumin/creatinine ratio; P < 0.001) were more markedly reduced in the doxazosin group than in the control group. This difference in the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio between the two groups was more marked in the patients with microalbuminuria (n = 238, -27.9 vs. -8.1 mg/gCr, P < 0.001). The reduction of urinary albumin/creatinine ratio was significantly associated with the use of doxazosin, and the change in all self-measured blood pressures (morning, evening, the average morning-evening), and these associations were independent of each other (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Adding a bedtime dose of an alpha-adrenergic blocker titrated by self-measured morning blood pressure in treated hypertensive patients with uncontrolled morning hypertension significantly reduced blood pressure and urinary albumin excretion rate, particularly in those with microalbuminuria.

Determinants of self-measured pulse rate profile in medicated hypertensives: the Jichi Morning Surge-1 (JMS-1) study.

BACKGROUND: Recently, it was reported that high pulse rate (PR), which was measured using by self-measured blood pressure (BP) monitoring at home, was associated with cardiovascular risk. However, the predictor of high PR at home in treated hypertensives is unknown. In this study, we studied the predictor of high PR and evaluated pulse rate variability (PRV). METHODS: In the JMS-1 study, 611 hypertensive outpatients were recruited. Self-measured BP monitoring was conducted consecutively twice in the morning and evening for three days. PR analysis was conducted using the average of these two measurements for three days (six readings in total). We defined home PR as the mean of these six readings. Home PRV was defined as the standard deviation of these six readings. RESULTS: Multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated that current smoking (beta = 0.12, p = 0.002), diabetes (beta = 0.16, p < 0.001), lack of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor use (beta = 0.10, p = 0.008), decreased brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP; beta = 0.17, p < 0.001), and elevated home diastolic blood pressure (beta = 0.14, p = 0.009) were determinants of high PR. Determinants of decreased home PRV were female gender (beta = 0.10, p < 0.03) and increased hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c; beta = 0.15, p < 0.001). When we divided the patients into four groups according to home PR and its variability, hypertensives whose home PR was high and variability was low were found to have high HbA1c (ANOVA, p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking habit, diabetes, lack of ACE inhibitor use, and low BNP value were determinants of home PR, and female gender and higher HbA1c were significantly associated with its low variability. Home PR and its variability may be useful for detecting high-risk hypertensive patients, particularly with autonomic neuropathy.

Relationship between morning hypertension identified by home blood pressure monitoring and brain natriuretic peptide and estimated glomerular filtration rate: the Japan Morning Surge 1 (JMS-1) Study.

We evaluated whether morning minus evening systolic blood pressure (SBP) difference (MEdif) in home blood pressure measurements can be a marker for hypertensive target organ damage. The authors analyzed 611 hypertensive patients who had high morning SBP levels (>/=135 mm Hg). The patients with morning hypertension (MEdif >/=15 mm Hg, average of morning and evening SBP [MEave] >/=135 mm Hg) were older (P<.001) and had a longer duration of hypertension and antihypertensive medication use, a higher prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) on electrocardiography, a lower glomerular filtration rate by the Cockcroft-Gault equation (P=.002), and a higher brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level (P<.001) than those with well-controlled blood pressure (MEdif <15 mm Hg, MEave <135 mm Hg). The patients with morning hypertension had a higher BNP level than those with well-controlled blood pressure after adjustment for the confounding factors (28.7 pg/mL vs 20.0 pg/mL; P=.033). In conclusion, morning hypertension is more likely seen among patients with older age and longer duration of hypertension and antihypertensive medication use, and it may be associated with a higher prevalence of LVH and a higher BNP level.

Changes in self-monitored pulse pressure correlate with improvements in B-type natriuretic Peptide and urinary albumin in treated hypertensive patients.

BACKGROUND: Pulse pressure (PP) is an independent marker of cardiovascular risk, even in treated hypertensive subjects, but is often little changed by antihypertensive treatment. We assessed the hypothesis that changes in PP during antihypertensive therapy correlate with changes in surrogate markers of target-organ damage. METHODS: We studied 540 treated hypertensive subjects whose home systolic blood pressure (SBP) was >/=135 mm Hg. They were followed for 6 months after allocation to either a control group or an added treatment group (doxazosin, 1 to 4 mg plus beta-blocker when needed). The changes in PP and various blood pressure (BP) measures, including mean BP (MP), SBP, and diastolic BP (DBP) during follow-up, were related to changes in plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and the urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UAR). RESULTS: Although self-measured MP was significantly lowered in the added treatment group, PP was not changed overall, although some patients showed a decrease, and others showed an increase. In multivariable analyses, changes in both clinic and home PP were positively associated with changes in log BNP, such that increases in clinic and home PP were paralleled by corresponding increases in BNP. However, no such corresponding relationships were observed when home PP decreased. The change in home PP, but not clinic PP, was positively and linearly associated with the change in UAR. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in PP during antihypertensive treatment are important because PP may increase in some patients, in whom there are adverse changes in surrogate markers of target-organ damage. These changes of PP are best evaluated by home monitoring.

Age-specific impact of self-monitored pulse pressure on hypertensive target organ damage in treated hypertensive patients.

The authors examined the relationship of clinic and self-measured pulse pressure with target organ damage in 597 treated hypertensive patients without clinical evidence of renal dysfunction or a history of heart failure. The cross-sectional relationships of plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio with clinic and self-monitored pulse pressures were estimated in age tertile groups: younger than 67 years (n=193), 67 to 75 years (n=216), and older than 75 years (n=188), controlling for various confounding factors. In multivariable analyses, both clinic and self-monitored higher pulse pressures were associated with increased urinary albumin/creatinine ratio in all 3 age groups. Self-monitored higher pulse pressure, but not clinic pulse pressure, was consistently associated with increased BNP in the younger and middle-aged patients. In the very old (older than 75 years), however, there were no consistent associations between pulse pressure measures and BNP. More studies are needed in the evaluation of cardiac risk with hemodynamic measures in the very old.