Treating acute hypertensive crisis with sodium nitroprusside.

In patients with dangerously elevated diastolic blood pressures, the titrated intravenous administration of sodium nitroprusside usually reduces blood pressure to near-normal levels in less than an hour. This rapid reduction of pressure is well tolerated by hypertensive patients and probably diminishes the morbidity from renal and cardiac failure and stroke. The side effects of sodium nitroprusside treatment are minimal.