Pausing blood pressure meds on day of surgery benefits older adults

AI Summary

A trial in older adults found that withholding the usual blood-pressure medication dose on the morning of surgery reduced episodes of dangerously low blood pressure requiring treatment during the operation. Researchers say the trial provides strong evidence for this approach in the population studied.

Pausing a patient's usual dose of blood pressure medication on the day of surgery reduces the rate of very low blood pressure requiring treatment during the operation compared with taking their medication as normal, finds a trial of older adults, published by The BMJ. The researchers say this simple strategy "provides high-certainty evidence supporting omission of the morning dose in this population."