Peter Drier, a bank technology manager in New York City, was blindsided after neck surgery by a $117,000 bill from a doctor he did not recall meeting. Credit Joshua Bright for The New York Times.
Cushing's triad, which includes bradycardia, hypertension (with widened pulse pressure), and a change in respiratory pattern, is seen in head injuries with increased intracranial pressure (ICP).
In 1903, Cushing described what is now widely known as the Cushing Triad as a clinical tool for recognizing the presence of elevated ICP. The triad consists of a widening pulse pressure (rising systolic, declining diastolic), irregular respirations, and bradycardia.