EVALUATION OF A PROGRAM OF BED REST IN THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC HYPERTENSION IN PREGNANCY

  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 53  (3) , 336-340
Abstract
Patients (66) with chronic hypertension were cared for during a total of 72 pregnancies. Patients were treated at home primarily by .gtoreq. 4 h of bed rest daily in the left recumbent position. Only patients whose diastolic blood pressures remained > 110 mmHg were treated with hydralazine (Apresoline, Ciba). With this plan of treatment there were only 3 perinatal deaths for an uncorrected perinatal mortality of 4.1% (1.4% corrected). Of the patients, 29% had babies that were small for gestational age, 13.8% had positive oxytocin challenge tests, and 38.8% developed superimposed preclampsia. When compared with the outcome of previous pregnancies, the program of bed rest lowered perinatal mortality from 16.8-8.8%. Bed rest together with the avoidance of diuretics and the judicious use of hydralazine apparently results in the most favorable fetal outcome.

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