Pregnancy and severely elevated blood pressure

Elevated blood pressure (BP) in a pregnant patient requires close monitoring and specialist obstetric input. Urgent treatment is recommended when systolic BP is 170 mmHg or higher, with or without diastolic BP of 110 mmHg or higher. The acute risk of maternal morbidity and mortality increases above this levelLowe, 2014.

Hypertension in pregnancy may be associated with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia.

Drugs commonly used to lower severely elevated BP in pregnancy include intravenous labetalol, hydralazine or diazoxide.

The Society of Obstetric Medicine of Australia and New Zealand guideline provides more detailed information on the management of hypertensive disorders in pregnant people.