Hemodynamics in Primigravida with pre-eclampsia

Objective: To determine the hemodynamic changes in primigravida with pre-eclampsia. Study design: Prospective cross-sectional study. Methodology: Forty-four primigravida women with pre-eclampsia and 44 normal pregnant (NP) woman matched for gestational age were recruited. Cross-sectional array echocardiographic Doppler system were used to obtain the hemodynamic measurements. The height, weight and blood pressure too were recorded. Results are expressed as the mean and standard error (SE) of the mean. Students ‘t’ test, Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. A probability of < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The women in the pre-eclampsia and NP group had comparable clinical characteristics with respect to age (27.2 [0.83] / 26.7 [0.71] years), weight and height at the respective values in the NP were 120/75 (1.9/0.71), 81 (1.4), 21.38 (0.34) and 3.93 (0.07). The stroke volume (SV) was significantly lower (77.57 (2.61) ml) in pre-eclampsia than in NP (84.26 [1.92/ml]. The cardiac output in subjects with pre-eclampsia too (6.04 [0.23] l /min] was lower than in NP (6.79 [0.16] l / min). The mean total peripheral vascular resistance (TPVR) in the pre-eclampsia was 1625 (88.9) and in the NP was 1003 (26.6). In pre-eclampsia, TPVR showed a significant negative correlation with cardiac output (-0.83), SV (-0.56) and AD (-0.64). However, no significant correlation was observed with flow velocity integral (-0.17). Comments: It is important to know the correct hemodynamic state of a pre-eclampsia patients because it may have important therapeutic implications. The untreated pre-eclampsia is characterized by a reduced circulation volume, low cardiac output and high peripheral resistance.