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ObjectivesHigh-quality evidence-based clinical practice guidelines can guide diagnosis and treatment to optimise outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality and content of national and international guidelines on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Data Sources: The MEDLINE database, the National Guideline Clearinghouse and several international databases were searched for appropriate guidelines from the past 10 years. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods: Six guidelines met inclusion and exclusion criteria and were evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument.ResultsA total of 695 records were identified and screened by two authors. Disorder definitions, classifications, preventive measures and treatment recommendations were evaluated and compared among guidelines. AGREE II results varied widely across domains and categories. Only two guidelines received consistently high ratings across domains and few demonstrated a high level of methodological rigour. Recommendations regarding classification and treatment were similar across guidelines, while assessment of preventive measures varied widely.ConclusionsClinical practice guidelines for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy vary significantly in quality and with respect to assessment of preventive measures.

Defines the range and severity of cardiac disease in pregnant women with cardiac comorbidity seen by a multidisciplinary team at a tertiary referral centre consisting of midwives, cardiologists, obstetricians and anaesthetists in 2016-2017, as well as the maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality compared with the background obstetric population. Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.

To provide Canadian physicians with a standard definition of hypertension in pregnancy, recommendations for laboratory investigations and tests for the assessment and management of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, and a classification of such disorders. To improve or not improve Canadian uniformity and standardization in the investigation and classification of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. 1) Accuracy, reliability and practicality of diagnostic clinical criteria for hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. 2) Laboratory tests useful to determine severity and prognosis of disorders as measured by maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes. 3) A classification of disorders for use by Canadian physicians to facilitate uniformity and diffusion of research through a common language. Articles on hypertensive disorders in pregnancy published from 1966 to 1996, retrieved through MEDLINE search, related to definitions, tests, diagnostic criteria and classification, as well as documents on diagnosis and classification from authorities in the United States, Europe and Australia and from special interest groups. High priority was given to the principle of preventing adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes through the provision of diagnostic criteria for severity and prognosis and through dissemination of reliable and pertinent information and research results using a common language. BENEFITS, HARMS AND COST: Higher degree of vigilance in diagnosing hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, allowing for earlier assessment and intervention, and more efficient dissemination of comparative information through common language. No harm or added cost is perceived at this time. (1) A diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or more should be the criterion for a diagnosis of hypertension in pregnancy and should trigger investigation and management. Except for very high diastolic readings (110 mm Hg or more), all diastolic readings of 90 mm Hg or more should be confirmed after 4 hours. (2) A regularly calibrated mercury sphygmomanometer, with an appropriate-sized cuff, is the instrument of choice. A rest period of 10 minutes should be allowed before taking the blood pressure. The woman should be sitting upright and the cuff positioned at the level of the heart. (3) Both Korotkoff phase IV and V sounds should be recorded, but the phase IV sound should be used for initiating clinical investigation and management. (4) A urine protein level of more than 0.3 g/d should be the criterion for a diagnosis of proteinuria; 24-hour urine collection should be the standard method for determining proteinuria. (5) Edema and weight gain should not be used as diagnostic criteria. (6) Hypertensive disorders diagnosed during pregnancy should be classified as pre-existing hypertension; gestational hypertension with or without proteinuria; pre-existing hypertension with superimposed gestational hypertension with proteinuria; and unclassifiable antenatally but final classification 42 days after delivery. Except for expert opinions and reviews solicited for this project, these recommendations need to be field tested and validated in Canada. Guidelines endorsed by the Canadian Hypertension Society and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada.

To validate the discharge diagnoses of venous thromboembolism during pregnancy and postpartum, we examined the positive predictive value (PPV) of venous thromboembolic (VTE) discharge diagnoses associated with pregnancy or puerperium based on 311 cases registered in a Danish population-based hospital-discharge registry. Medical records and hospital discharge summaries were retrieved and reviewed using a standardized form. Standard and pregnancy-specific codes were used for 147 (49%) and 153 (51%) cases, respectively. The overall PPV of the selected codes was 87.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 83.0–90.9). When focusing on confirmed VTE events in relation to the pregnancy, the overall PPV was 79.3% (95% CI: 74.3–83.8). The overall PPVs of pregnancy-related VTE diagnoses were moderate to high. The predictive values varied substantially between the individual codes, however, and not all the registered VTE events occurred in relation to pregnancy. Thus, use of unvalidated registry-based pregnancy-related VTE diagnoses for epidemiological research may lead to biased results.

Maternal arrhythmias during pregnancy may jeopardize the health of both mother and fetus. The correct identification of the arrhythmia is critical in the pregnant patient. Treatment should be reserved for arrhythmias that are hemodynamically unstable or cause debilitating symptoms. When medications are deemed necessary, the physician should use as few drugs as possible at the lowest effective doses and choose drugs with a history of safe use in pregnancy. Resuscitation of a pregnant patient in cardiac arrest should be modified with regard to the normal physiologic changes of pregnancy. With careful management, most of these challenging patients will have excellent outcomes.

Atrial premature beats are frequently diagnosed during pregnancy, supraventricular tachycardia (atrial tachycardia, AV nodal reentrant tachycardia, circus movement tachycardia) less frequently. For acute therapy, electrical cardioversion with 50-100 J is indicated in all unstable patients. In stable supraventricular tachycardia, initial therapy includes vagal maneuvers to terminate breakthrough tachycardias. For short-term management, when vagal maneuvers fail, intravenous adenosine is the drug of first choice and may safely terminate the arrhythmia. For long-term therapy, beta-blocking agents with beta(1) selectivity are first-line drugs; class Ic agents or the class III drug sotalol represent effective and therapeutic alternatives. Ventricular premature beats are also frequently present during pregnancy and benign in most of the unstable patients; however, malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias (sustained ventricular tachycardia, ventricular flutter, ventricular fibrillation) are less frequently observed. Electrical cardioversion is necessary in all patients with hemodynamically unstable situation and life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias; in hemodynamically stable patients, initial therapy with ajmaline, procainamide or lidocaine is indicated. If prophylactic therapy is needed, beta-blocking agents with beta(1) selectivity are regarded as drugs of first choice. If this therapy proves ineffective, class Ic agents or sotalol can be considered. In patients with syncopal ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, ventricular flutter or aborted sudden death, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator is indicated. In patients with symptomatic bradycardia, a pacemaker can be implanted using echocardiography at any stage of pregnancy. The treatment of the pregnant patient with cardiac arrhythmias requires important modifications of the standard practice of arrhythmia management. The goal of therapy is to protect the patient and fetus through delivery, after which chronic or definitive therapy can be administered.