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Where's the Evidence?

Margaret A. Winker, MD

JAMA. 1996;276(16):1342-1343.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

In this issue of THE JOURNAL, Dr Grossman and colleagues¹ criticize the use of sublingual nifedipine capsules in the treatment of hypertensive emergencies and pseudoemergencies. Sublingual nifedipine gained proponents because it is easy to use and rapidly lowers blood pressure, alleviating the concerns of the physician and staff. Recommendations to use sublingual nifedipine capsules have permeated the literature,^2,3 and such recommendations continue, even as recently as a letter⁴ last month proposing that ancillary staff in nursing homes could draw up 0.1 mL of nifedipine into a syringe to administer orally to patients with "urgent needs for reduced blood pressure." Grossman et al point out that, in addition to the lack of evidence that an asymptomatic elevation in blood pressure should be lowered urgently and the considerable potential dangers of administering an oral drug for a hypertensive emergency, no studies have supported the use of sublingual nifedipine capsules . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Footnotes
Dr Winker is a Senior Editor of JAMA.

Reprints: Margaret A. Winker, MD, JAMA, 515 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610.

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