Effectiveness and safety of intravenous labetalol in severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia at a teaching institution in Chhattisgarh.

Introduction: Severe hypertension in pregnancy deserves prompt recognition and urgent effective reduction in order to reduce the risk of complications such as eclampsia and HELLP syndrome and to achieve desirable neonatal outcomes. There is a need for effective and safe parenteral antihypertensive treatment.

Subjects and methods: We studied the effectiveness and safety of intravenous labetalol use in severe hypertension in pregnancy and post-partum period in a teaching hospital in Chhattisgarh in 101 women. IV labetalol was given as bolus doses till the blood pressures were controlled. Neonatal outcomes were recorded, and adverse effects such as hypotension, hypoglycemia, and neonatal asphyxia were documented.

Results: Intravenous labetalol given as a single bolus of 20 mg was efficacious in controlling blood pressures in 93 out of 101 (93%) women, and the rest were controlled with 1 or 2 additional doses in 1-3 hours. No neonatal deaths happened beyond the 13 intrauterine fetal deaths at presentation. No women developed any episodes of hypotension, tachycardia of more than 100, or nausea or vomiting on labetalol.

Conclusion: Intravenous labetalol, even as a single bolus dose, is highly efficacious and is free of any major adverse effects.