Perioperative Hypertension Etiologies in Patients Undergoing Noncardiac Surgery in University Health Network Hospitals–Canada from 2015–2020

Abstract

Introduction Perioperative hypertension, defined as increased blood pressure around the surgery, is a known risk factor for perioperative complications, including cardiovascular events. Identifying reasons associated with hypertension in each period is of great help in preventing and better managing perioperative hypertension. Objective The aim of the study was to explore common etiologies of hypertension during the perioperative period (pre, intra, and post-operation) in patients who underwent noncardiac surgeries in University Health Network (UHN) hospitals, Canada, from 2015 to 2020. Patients and Methods We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 174 patients undergoing noncardiac surgeries who experienced perioperative hypertension. We assessed the prevalence of 10 reasons for perioperative hypertension as a whole and also each period separately according to the physicians’ notes in patients’ medical records. Two-way measurements ANOVA was used to determine the change of mean hypertension among patients for specific etiology. Results The common etiologies of perioperative hypertension were poorly controlled hypertension (21.8%), excessive fluid therapy (19.5%), excessive vasopressor (18.4%), and medication withdrawal (13.7%). Regarding each period separately, the most common reasons were poorly controlled hypertension for pre (42.9%) and intraoperative period (22.7%) and fluid overload for the postoperative period (20.1%). Poor control of hypertension showed both within-subject statistical significance for systolic and between-subject statistical significance for diastolic blood pressure. Conclusion Poorly controlled hypertension is the most significant etiology of perioperative hypertension in patients undergoing noncardiac surgeries. Apart from poorly controlled hypertension, as a patient-related factor, iatrogenic factors such as excessive vasopressor therapy, aggressive fluid replacement and poor management of antihypertensive medications can also cause perioperative hypertension.