Description

Pre-eclampsia is now well recognised as a multisystem disorder of pregnancy complicating 2-8% of pregnancies. Although the outcome is often good, pre-eclampsia remains a major cause of morbidity and
mortality for the mother and her child, and continues to present a significant clinical challenge to health care workers. In the UK, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia together account for 15% of direct maternal deaths. Presentation may depend on the organ system affected. Its management often poses dilemmas for the obstetrician who may struggle to balance maternal versus fetal well-being in the face of complex, lifethreatening pathology. Clinical guidelines should be placed on all antenatal and postnatal wards, delivery suite, as well as the accident and emergency department. Every obstetric unit should have a well established protocol for managing eclampsia to avoid delays in diagnosis and management. The
Confidential Enquiries into maternal deaths continue to report significant levels of substandard care in the management of more than 75% of pre-eclampsiarelated maternal deaths. They continually recommend better awa reness of its potential multisystemic complexity and the early involvement of experts in the more severe cases.