View clinical trials related to Pre-eclampsia.
Filter by:The Investigator would like to see if taking a DHA supplement at a dose recommended for heart health will improve brachial artery dilation (relaxation) and help blood pressure. As a second goal the Investigator would like to see if this supplement can delay preterm delivery by improving heart health. In this research study, the Investigator is asking pregnant women with chronic high blood pressure to take Expecta (DHA - Martek Biosciences, now known as DSM Nutritional Lipil) during the last half of their pregnancy until six weeks after they deliver their baby.
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether treatment with progesterone for patients with first trimester vaginal bleeding will alter the rates of obstetrical complications and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Anesthesia for cesarean section has been a great challenge for the anesthesiologist, for mother and fetus are closely related. So the challenge is to anesthetize the mother without interfering with the physiology of the fetus. The spinal block, although safe, are not free of complications if not treated properly, may be responsible for increased fetal morbidity. Among the major side effects, there is hypotension, with potentially serious consequences for the maternal-fetal dyad. Hypotension in pregnant women at low risk may not lead to major damage, but a pregnant woman with low reserves, as is the case of pregnant women with pre-eclampsia, any drop in blood pressure of the mother can bring harm to the welfare of mother and fetus. Based on the above, the purpose of this study is to compare the effects of maternal and perinatal treatment of hypotension with ephedrine or metaraminol in pregnant women with severe preeclampsia undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. There will be a randomized, double-blind, which will be included pregnant women with severe preeclampsia with indication of cesarean section, gestational age above 34 weeks gestation and only.Will be Excluded women with hemorrhagic syndromes of pregnancy, HELLP syndrome, eclampsia, cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, fetal distress and absolute contraindications to spinal anesthesia. All patients are fully informed of the research objectives and will only be included in the study if they agree to participate and sign the Instrument of Consent. The project was designed following the recommendations of Resolution 196/96 of the National Health and the Declaration of Helsinki for research involving human subjects (2000). In addition, the project was submitted to the Ethics Committee in Research of the Institute of Integrative Medicine Professor Fernando Figueira, is approved. The study will be conducted from June 2011 to July 2012. The study variables are: consumption of metaraminol and ephedrine before and after birth, the occurrence of nausea and vomiting, incidence of maternal hypotension, the occurrence of reactive hypertension, occurrence of bradycardia, pH of umbilical cord, Apgar score 5 minutes, need for face mask ventilation and ICU admission.
The involvement of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) in human placental implantation and in the pathological pregnancies: preeclampsia and IUGR.
The investigators previously demonstrated that epidural ropivacaine reduces uterine artery vascular resistance in a dose dependent manner in pre-eclampsia. The investigators also noted a marked right-left difference in vascular resistance between paired uterine arteries, which was almost completely abolished following epidural ropivacaine. However, this novel observation was not a stated outcome variable before the study began. This study assesses right-left difference in vascular resistance between paired uterine arteries as a primary end-point, assesses the dose-response effect of epidural lidocaine and compares the effect observed in pre-eclampsia with that in two control populations (term normal pregnancy and non-pregnant controls).
Severe preeclampsia often presents with uncontrolled hypertension and therefore requires close monitoring of blood pressure and cardiac performance. The purpose of the study is to compare two methods of measuring the performance of the heart in pregnant women: one by ultrasound of the heart, the other by assessing the pulse generated in the blood vessel of the wrist. We hope that the method using pulse analysis will be as effective as ultrasound, which is labour intensive and operator dependant.
Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and a leading cause of fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Recent findings indicate preeclampsia is an inflammatory disorder associated with increased expression of COX-2. This study will test the hypothesis that treatment of women with a COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib, will stop the inflammatory process and reverse symptoms of preeclampsia.
High blood pressure (BP) before pregnancy is called chronic hypertension (CHTN), and is associated with an increased risk of development of pregnancy related high BP called preeclampsia, preterm delivery, decreased growth of the fetus, fetal death, premature separation of the placenta from the uterus resulting in damage to the fetus and cesarean delivery. Longer duration and severity of CHTN in pregnancy leads to worse outcomes for the mother and the fetus. Treatment of mild CHTN in pregnancy does not improve these outcomes, and therefore, medications to lower BP are used for moderate to severe hypertension. To date the literature on the medications used in pregnancy is extremely limited. Methyldopa is used as a first choice medicine for CHTN in pregnancy. It acts on the central nervous system (CNS) by relaxation of the blood vessels leading to a decrease in BP. It does not decrease the blood flow to the uterus, placenta, or the fetus (4). Methyldopa is a weak antihypertensive medicine given three or four times a day and frequently needs changes in the dose or may require an additional medication to control BP. This may lead to a greater chance of non compliance. Another option is Clonidine which is an effective antihypertensive treatment and is available in many forms (oral, parenteral, and transdermal.) It acts on the maternal CNS. Clonidine is not associated with teratogenic or neonatal side effects. Transdermal clonidine (catapres-TTS®) is a preparation of clonidine hydrochloride that can be released and absorbed transdermally over a 7-day period. The study will determine differences in compliance between the two antihypertensive regimens- oral methyldopa and Catapres-TTS, comparisons of patient tolerability, compliance and adequacy of BP control, as well as provide information on an alternate option for BP control.
Eclampsia is a major cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology is not known but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Doppler data suggest that overperfusion of the cerebral tissues is a major etiologic factor. Hypertensive encephalopathy from overperfusion, and vascular damage from excessive arterial pressure (cerebral barotrauma) are believed to lead to vasogenic and cytotoxic cerebral edema, with resultant neuronal anomalies, seizure activity and cerebral bleeding if left unchecked. Doppler data have shown that cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) is abnormally increased in severe preeclampsia and that autoregulation of the middle cerebral artery is affected by this condition leading to increased CPP. Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) is the most widely accepted eclampsia treatment and prophylactic agent, and it has been used in the USA since the 1950's. Despite widespread use, its mechanism of action is unknown. MgSO4 is given intravenously or intramuscularly and requires specialized nursing training and monitoring to minimize toxicity from respiratory and cardiac depression. Labetalol, a combined alpha and beta blocker, has been used for many years to safely treat hypertension in preeclamptic women, and is now known to reduce CPP in women with preeclampsia. In the United Kingdom labetalol was for many years used as the sole agent in treating preeclampsia, and the rate of seizure was no different to that reported in the USA with MgSO4. Since labetalol can be administered orally, is economical, has low toxicity potential, does not require specialized training to administer or monitor, and decreases CPP, it may be an ideal agent for controlling blood pressure (BP) and decreasing the incidence of eclampsia in women with preeclampsia. The current study is a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial to compare the anti-seizure effect of parenteral MgSO4 versus oral labetalol in hypertensive pregnant women who are eligible for MgSO4 therapy. The primary outcome measure is eclampsia, and the secondary outcome measures include blood pressure control, and relevant antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal maternal and fetal/neonatal parameters including adverse effects and complications. Inclusion criteria are deliberately broad in order to make the study clinically relevant. Hypertensive pregnant women, in whom the decision for delivery has been made, will be enrolled after written, informed consent. Patients will be randomized to receive MgSO4 therapy as given in their institution, versus oral labetalol (200mg/q6 hours), from enrollment in the study until 24 hours post delivery. There will be 4000 patients in each arm of the study and analysis will be by intention-to-treat. The study is powered to show both therapeutic superiority as well as clinical equivalence. This study has the potential to change the way preeclampsia is managed, and will represent a major advance in terms of the availability and safety of prophylactic therapy, especially in developing nations where MgSO4 is underutilized due to cost constraints.
This project is a clinical study of women with high blood pressure who become pregnant. Preeclampsia is a syndrome developing at the end of a pregnancy characterized by an abrupt rise in blood pressure (BP), blood clotting and kidney dysfunction, and may result in premature delivery, infant death, and maternal bleeding, kidney failure and stroke. The goal is to determine whether lowering blood pressure to a normal pressure of 120/80 is associated with a lower incidence of preeclampsia. Women who are completely healthy have a 5% chance of developing preeclampsia, however women with preexisting high blood pressure have a 25% chance of this complication. Several studies, including our own suggest that higher blood pressure early in pregnancy (<20 weeks) is associated with an even higher risk of preeclampsia. Currently we, the researchers at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, do not know how to treat women with high blood pressure and/or kidney disease during pregnancy. Keeping the BP in the normal range may be beneficial to the mother. On the other hand, we are not sure if the blood pressure lowering or the medications may or may not have adverse effects for the baby. Different trials to answer this question have been performed with no clear conclusions. Because of these uncertainties, we propose to compare two different strategies for treating women with high BP who become pregnant. We will treat half the women with BP medications to normalize BP (120-130/80 mm Hg) (experimental group) and the other half with the goal of keeping the BP slightly higher (140-150/90-100 mm Hg)(standard therapy group). We will determine which approach results in healthier pregnancies, and lower incidence of preeclampsia. Reducing the incidence of preeclampsia would be of significant benefit to both mothers and babies.