Hypertensive emergencies (HE) and urgencies (HU) are defined as a blood pressure (BP) elevation usually above 180 mmHg for systolic (SBP) and/or above 120 mmHg for diastolic (DBP) and differ by the presence, HE, or absence, HU, of new onset or worsening of acute organ damage [1–4]. Often referred as “hypertensive crises”, HE and HU are a common cause of admission in emergency department (ED) and altogether accounting for 4.6 out of 1000 ED visits in the Italian EDs, 25% being HE [5]. These two conditions are associated with a high burden of morbidity and mortality (one-year death rate >79% for HE left untreated), which underlines the importance of an appropriate management [2].
