The complication and mode of delivery in Chinese women with severe preeclampsia: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE: Severe preeclampsia is a serious threat for pregnant women and fetuses. The complications of severe preeclampsia greatly affect perinatal outcome. This study aimed to investigate the complication and delivery mode of Chinese pregnant women with severe preeclampsia, and analyze the change in these aspects in the past decades. METHODS: Clinical data of 1713 pregnant women with severe preeclampsia were collected and analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups: early period (1985-1997) and later period (1998-2010). RESULTS: The complications for severe preeclampsia included preterm birth, fetal distress, postpartum hemorrhage, fetal growth restriction (FGR). Compared to early period, the rates of preterm birth, FGR, oligohydramnios, abnormal pregnancy outcome increased while the rates of fetal distress, postpartum hemorrhage and eclampsia decreased in later period. The rate of cesarean section was 73.073% in the early period and increased to 88.258% in the later period. Accordingly, the rate of natural childbirth, forceps extraction, vacuum extraction and breech extraction decreased in the later period. CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide important information on the complication and mode of delivery in Chinese women with severe preeclampsia in the past decades, which may be helpful for clinical management of severe preeclampsia in Chinese women.