Comparison of the efficacy of intravenous labetalol versus oral nifedipine in patients with severe pregnancy-induced hypertension beyond 30 weeks of gestation

Abstract

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy affect 5% to 10% of all pregnancies globally. The aim of treatment is to bring down blood pressure (BP) quickly and smoothly, which is safe for the mother and baby. The aim of our study was to study the efficacy and safety of intravenous labetalol and oral nifedipine in severe pregnancy-induced hypertension. Materials and Methods: It is a retrospective observational study, intravenous labetalol 20 mg was given initially in escalating doses of 40 mg, 80 mg, 80 mg, and 80 mg every 15 mins up to a maximum dose of 5 or until the goal BP ≤150/100 mmHg was reached. Some women with severe pregnancy-induced hypertension were given oral nifedipine to control their BP according to the choice of the attending consultant. Nifedipine 10 mg tablet was given initially in repeated doses of 10 mg every 15 mins up to a maximum of five doses or until the goal of BP ≤150/100 mmHg was reached. Results: In our study, we found that there was a strong statistical significance in stabilizing the BP with oral nifedipine than with intravenous labetalol drug used. The majority of the patients in the oral nifedipine group got to normal BP quicker when compared to intravenous labetalol group patients. Conclusion: From this study, both drugs were found to be safe and effective in the reduction in BP. The use of nifedipine may be recommended in low-resource settings since it has an oral regimen and dosage is simple when compared to incremental intravenous dosing of labetalol.