Key result
Epidural analgesia did not change maximum systolic or diastolic blood pressure compared to baseline values or untreated hypertensive controls during the first stage of labour.
Why the study?
Does epidural analgesia reduce maximum blood pressure in primigravidae with mild/moderate gestational hypertension during the first stage of labour?
Cohort
Does epidural analgesia reduce maximum blood pressure in primigravidae with mild/moderate gestational hypertension during the first stage of labour?
Epidural analgesia does not lower maximum blood pressure in pregnant women with mild/moderate gestational hypertension and should be used solely for pain relief.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Epidural analgesia was not associated with lower peak BP in mild gestational hypertension; leaves open confirmation in randomized trials of broader populations.
One of the arguments used in favour of epidural analgesia for hypertensive patients in labour is its effect on mean arterial blood pressure, although the fetal and maternal risk from hypertension is more closely linked to maximum recorded levels. We have therefore assessed the effect of epidural analgesia on maximum blood pressure. There was no change in the maximum systolic or diastolic blood pressure after epidural analgesia when compared to baseline values or levels in untreated hypertensive controls. We conclude that this form of analgesia should be offered to hypertensive patients purely for its analgesic effect and not as a method for blood pressure control.
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Greenwood et al. (1986) conducted a cohort in Mild/moderate gestational hypertension. Epidural analgesia vs. Untreated hypertensive controls was evaluated on Maximum systolic or diastolic blood pressure. Epidural analgesia did not change maximum systolic or diastolic blood pressure compared to baseline values or untreated hypertensive controls during the first stage of labour.
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