Page 14 - OB Risks - Delivering the Goods (Part Two)

SVMIC Obstetrics Risks: Delivering the Goods

An ectopic pregnancy can threaten the life of a mother and is

fatal to a sustainable pregnancy; but, when the pregnancy itself
is wanted, an ectopic pregnancy is fraught with trauma and

grief for the mother, her partner, and her family. For this reason,
and as the previous case demonstrates, physicians must use all

available tests to confirm an ectopic pregnancy and not rush to
judgment.

Gestational Hypertension and

Preeclampsia

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG)

Practice Bulletin 222 provides guidelines for the diagnosis and

management of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia.
21
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy constitute one of the
leading causes of maternal and perinatal mortality worldwide.

Gestational hypertension, also referred to as pregnancy-induced

hypertension (PIH) is defined as systolic blood pressure of 140
mm Hg or more or a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or

more, or both, on two occasions at least four hours apart after
20 weeks of gestation in a woman with a previously normal

blood pressure. Women with gestational hypertension with
severe range blood pressures (a systolic blood pressure of 160

mm Hg or higher, or diastolic blood pressure of 110 mm Hg or
higher) should be diagnosed with preeclampsia with severe

21 https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/practice-bulletin/articles/2020/06/
gestational-hypertension-and-preeclampsia

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