2 �� Trichostatin A mw 1, and the mean number of doses of labetalol were 1.3 �� 0.97 (P < 0.001). The median (IQR) dose of nicardipine was 3.1 (2.3, 4.4) mg, compared with 40 (30, 80) mg for labetalol. The dosing ranges were 1 to 6.7 mg for nicardipine infusions, and 10 to 220 mg for bolus labetalol. Further, there were no significant differences between enrollment centers in regards to protocol deviations, time to delivery of trial drug, or duration of participation in the trial.If patients did not attain target range SBP within the 30 minute study period, rescue medications could be given at the physician's discretion. Overall, the number of patients receiving rescue medications was not statistically different between nicardipine and labetalol groups, respectively (17 (15.5%) vs. 26 (22.4%), 95% CI of the difference -3.

1 to 17.5). If nicardipine failed, the first rescue antihypertensive was most commonly labetalol (used in 11 of 17) and was not particularly effective as 47.1% required at least one more rescue medication (in addition to labetalol). If labetalol failed, the most common rescue medication was nicardipine (used in 9 of 26), and only 7.7% required additional rescue medication.Adverse events attributed to study drug were rare, occurring in only one nicardipine patient who developed elevated cardiac markers after admission and no labetalol patients. Labetalol patients had slower heart rates at all time points after treatment (P < 0.01), although none had a heart rate below 70 (Figure (Figure3).3). Only three patients did not complete the study (two labetalol and one nicardipine), due to the withdrawal of consent.

Figure 3Heart rate changes over time in patients randomized to receive either nicardipine or labetalol. CI, confidence interval; HR, heart rate.Lowering BP below target range occurred in 14 (12.7%) nicardipine, and 13 (11.2%) of the labetalol-treated patients (95% CI of the difference -10.0 to 7.1). The median (IQR) overshoot was 9.5 (3, 12.5) and 7.0 (3, 15.5) mmHg for nicardipine and labetalol cohorts, respectively (95% CI of the difference -14.3 to 7.4). The minimum and maximum overshoot of the target range were 1 and 24 mmHg for nicardipine, and 1 and 69 mmHg for labetalol.Hours from hospital admission until ED disposition was similar between nicardipine (median 4.6, IQR 3.5, 6.6) and labetalol (median 4.6, IQR 3.1, 7.6), groups (P = 0.

762) and at discharge from the ED or hospital, there were no differences in outpatient prescription rates, with two exceptions. As expected in a cohort with more hyperlipidemia, nicardipine patients were more likely to receive an anti-lipid agent at discharge vs. the labetalol cohort, 23.6% vs. GSK-3 11.2% (95% CI of the difference -22.2 to -2.6). Nicardipine patients were also more likely to be discharged on a calcium channel blocker than were the patients treated with labetalol (38.2 vs 25.9%; 95% CI of the difference -24.4 to -0.24).