Long-term treatment with nicardipine for severe pre-eclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the safety of long-term nicardipine treatment in severely pre-eclamptic women and their fetuses/newborns.


METHODS
We divided 50 pregnant women into three groups according to the length of their treatment: short-term treatment of severely pre-eclamptic women (7 days or less, n=20); medium-term treatment also of severely pre-eclamptic women (8-28 days, n=20); and long-term treatment of women with severe superimposed pre-eclampsia (29 days or more, n=10).


RESULTS
Nicardipine significantly lowered both systolic (P<0.01) and diastolic blood pressures (P<0.025) in all three groups. The incidence of delivery before 28 weeks of gestation was very low in all three groups. There were no maternal or fetal/neonatal adverse effects.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that long-term treatment with nicardipine for severe pre-eclampsia is as effective and safe as a short- and medium-term treatment.
Seki
H
H
The Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Kantou Rousai Hospital 2035 Kizukisumiyoshi-cho, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa City, Japan. h-n-seki@theia.ocn.ne.jp
Takeda
S
S
Kinoshita
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009529:Nicardipine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D009529:Nicardipine