Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) Practice Test

Hypertensive urgency is specifically defined as a situation where blood pressure is elevated, typically above 180/120 mmHg, yet there is no evidence of acute end-organ dysfunction. This means that while the blood pressure is dangerously high, the individual is not experiencing any direct damage to organs such as the heart, kidneys, or brain, which can occur in hypertensive emergencies.

In hypertensive urgency, the elevated blood pressure can lead to symptoms like headache, anxiety, or epistaxis, but the key factor is that end-organ damage is absent. Monitoring and careful management are essential, and treatment typically involves the gradual reduction of blood pressure, often through oral medications, instead of immediate invasive interventions.

This understanding highlights the importance of differentiating between hypertensive urgency and hypertensive emergencies, where immediate medical intervention is necessary due to complications that could threaten the patient’s life.