What's the highest blood pressure you ever recorded?

Nurses General Nursing Nursing Q/A

I was in intensive care with idiopathic heart failure, kidney failure, pneumonia and water on the lung. I had my BP measured at 340. Apparently, the consultant told my wife that that was the highest bp he has measured on somebody that went on to survive. This was last year, and apart from having regular dialysis, I am perfectly fine, and am back to work full time.

What in your experience is the highest bp of somebody who went on to be OK? I am trying to see if this is a record or not.

21 Answers

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

The highest B/P I ever recorded on a patient was 310/118. I was working in Med/Surg at the time and that reading scared the bejeebus out of both the patient AND me. The MD had ordered PRN Lopressor for B/P >180/110, but I called him anyway because I was afraid she was going to stroke out. He just told me to give the Lopressor and check her pressure q 15 minutes x 1 hr, but call back if the Lopressor didn't bring it down right away. Luckily it did, which spared her a transfer to the ICU.

The highest my own has ever been was 260/130. It happened at work, unsurprisingly. I remember feeling very speeded-up and irritable, and I had a pounding headache so I asked my co-worker to check my B/P. Neither of us believed the numbers so she checked again. It was about the same. Now, did I behave like a sensible human being, get someone to cover my patients and go downstairs to the ER? Of course not; against the advice of my co-worker, I finished the rest of my 12-hour shift and went home! Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Next day I did go to the doctor, where my B/P was 190/110---still way too high, but nothing like it had been the day before. I was put on some new HTN meds and warned to go to the ER if my pressure went over 200/120. My doctor said the only saving grace was that I was still young (early 40s); I don't even want to think of what could happen at the age I am now. So I watch my B/P at home and take my meds regularly. Nowadays I run in the 130/70 range. :yes:

Highest I ever saw was 260/120 and I was not sure if it was accurate, so checked it again and came up with the same numbers!! Glad that you are back at work and doing well.

When I worked ICU a number of years ago, a patient had a BP of 260/140, hypertensive crisis. He was asymptomatic and was discharged a week later.

Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.

The highest (and it was my BP!) that I remember was 260/150. This one was the last reading I took at home before leaving to go to the ER with stoke symptoms.

Anne

Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.

My personal best was 260/140 when I had my last stroke. I was impressed with that & never want to see it again!

I am just off a quintible bypass. I had slight tingling in my arms. I took my own blood pressure off of a automatic blood pressure sleeve. I took it three times and the average was 297/195. I went to the instacare, where they took my blood pressure and it came in 299/190. I was none the less taken by ambulance to the local hospital. The doctors worked to bring down my pressure. Then they scoped my heart to find four artieries to the heart 100% blocked and the last 85% blocked. Two days later I had the bypass surgery. Both my cardiologist and my surgeon said I should not be here talking to them. I suffered absolutely no heart damage. I am recovering from the surgery now and all looks good.

Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

340 something/260.

Pheochromocytoma (a hormonally active adrenal tumor which makes epinephrine by the caseload) on operation table right before it was whacked outta there for good. Patient had massive stroke and did not wake up. It was a sad case.

Highest I have seen was around 300 with arterial line.

It happened after a resident who was new to ICU connected a blood product to the line in which the pressors were running - pat got a bolus of it and BP up to 300 after cardiac surgery.Apparently the surgeon did a good job because it did not blow out the valve...

Specializes in Med-surg, school nursing..

Mine during my second C-section, 220/120 with a HR of 22. Talk about a headache...

I found this thread while googling around for the highest BP possible or how high a BP has to be before a person strokes out...... Had someone today with a BP of 270/170 and I was SHOCKED. First time I've seen one that high. Person was in for something unrelated but ended up in ICU due to the hypertension. Labetolol and Nicardipine, when I left about 4 hours later it was still in the 230s. I had to laugh when the patient was asked "Do you have a problem with high blood pressure?" To which the patient replied "Oh yeah, I didn't take my medications today"... OR EVER?!

I was 35 weeks pregnant and I went to the E.R.with a headache and blurred vision. My blood pressure was 212/148. . Turns out I had preeclampsia.

Specializes in I/DD.

Wow, glad to see you are ok! Definitely the highest I have ever seen with a good outcome, but that's just 2 years of critical care experience (4 total).

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