Management of hypertension in pregnancy: a descriptive report of two clinic practices

ABSTRACT

Objective: To describe the current clinical practice in the treatment of hypertension in pregnancy.

Methods: Retrospective chart review described hypertension treatment of pregnant women in two urban clinics in Minnesota USA, over 27 months. Data elements collected: blood pressure (BP) readings with gestational age, goal BP documented, and pharmacological treatments utilized.

Results: Sixty patients had multiple elevated BP readings in prenatal care encounters. Of 60 included patients, 18 were treated with antihypertensives and 11 had documented BP goals. Documented goal BPs varied in numeric goal and some only listed systolic or diastolic goal.

Conclusion: Inconsistencies exist in current treatment and documentation of hypertension in pregnancy.

KEYWORDS:

• Hypertension
• pregnancy
• preeclampsia
• gestational hypertension
• antihypertensives

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the staff of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at the University of Minnesota for assistance in data collection.

Declarations of Interests

Authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Ethical Approval

This study was approved by the University of Minnesota Institutional Review Board.

Additional information

Funding

No external funding contributed to this work.