Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1998; 46(3): 121-125
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-1010207
Original Cardiovascular

© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Arterial Hypertension in Adults After Surgical Treatment of Aortic Coarctation

H. Kaemmerer, F. Oelert., J. Bahlmann, S. Blücher, G. P. Meyer, A. Mügge
  • Department of Cardiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

1997

Publication Date:
19 March 2008 (online)

Abstract

Despite primarily successful surgical repair of aortic coarctation (CoA), postoperative persistent, recurring, or newly developing hypertension is regarded as a risk factor of earlier mortality compared with a normal pupulation. The present study shows that even after surgical correction of CoA many patients have hypertension at rest or during exercise. Out of 44 patients, 72% had a pathological profile at rest, 20% during exercise, and 53% during ambulatory blood pressure measurement. Regular checks on blood pressure are therefore necessary, including measurements at rest, during exercise, and under ambulatory conditions. Since these processes yield very different answers they should be combined and evaluated critically for a proper assessment of the blood pressure Situation and effective treatment. Ambulatory blood pressure measurement allows the recognition of round-the-clock behavior of blood pressure and of patients with 'occult' or 'white-coat' hypertension, and further-more it helps to control the effectiveness of the treatment. It thus makes an essential contribution to the postoperative care of patients after surgical treatment of CoA.