Blood pressure as a parameter in dermatologic surgery.

Elevated blood pressure is a major cause of perioperative bleeding and postoperative hematoma. Seventy-five patients scheduled for dermatologic surgical procedures were prospectively asked if they were aware of any personal history of hypertension. If patient response alone is relied on as a preoperative screen for hypertension, over half of the individuals affected with this disease will be missed. Epinephrine-containing local anesthetics were found not to increase blood pressure in doses commonly employed by dermatologists; in fact, they lowered blood pressure in hypertensive individuals.