Systematic review comparing immediate release Nifedipine and Labetalol for the urgent treatment of pre-eclampsia with severe hypertension


T. Bemand, C. Mok, M. Lennon

Background

Pre-eclampsia is a disease of abnormal placentation with definitive treatment requiring delivery of the placenta. However in the absence of maternal or foetal indications for delivery, expectant management to promote foetal maturity may be pursued. Options for treatment of severe hypertension in pre-eclampsia include hydralazine, nifedipine and labetalol although it is unclear if one drug is superior in efficacy.

Method

Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials with a head to head comparison of immediate release nifedipine and labetalol in the treatment of severe hypertension in pre-eclampsia without indications for urgent delivery with outcomes of time to effective blood pressure reduction and proportion of patients achieving effective reduction.

Hypothesis

Immediate release nifedipine will result in a more rapid reduction of blood pressure compared to labetalol but the overall proportion of patients with an effective reduction will be similar.

Preliminary results

6 articles met inclusion criteria for further analysis.