[Relation between fresh plasma administration and morbidity in patients with HELLP syndrome].
BACKGROUND
HELLP syndrome is a complication of severe preeclampsia; its incidence goes from 0.1 to 0.6% of pregnancies, and causes complications in 4% of patients.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate frozen fresh plasma administration to prevent pregnancy complications in patients with HELLP syndrome.


METHODS
Retrospective, comparative and non-randomized study. Patients with HELLP syndrome were divided in two groups: first one (n=23) was treated with fresh frozen plasma (10 mL/kg/day), and second one (n=29) with dexamethasone. Complications, dialysis requirement, hospital stay, and mortality were compared (chi2 test was used).


RESULTS
Group 1 (n=23) had nine patients with HELLP syndrome type I, and 14 with type II. Group 2 (n=29) had 20 cases with HELLP syndrome type I, and nine with type II. Most frequent complication in group 1 was acute renal failure (22%), and hospital stay was 4.5 days. Group 2 had 13 patients with acute renal failure, three with pulmonary edema, one with cerebral edema, one with hepatic fracture, and one with placenta detachment. Hospital stay was from 8 to 30 days (p < 0.002). There were no maternal deaths in both groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Fresh frozen plasma meaningfully reduces (43%) complications, hospital stay, and hemodialysis requirement (45%) in patients with HELLP syndrome.
Montoya Ramírez
Juana María
JM
Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos de Adultos, IMSS, Monterrey, NL, Mexico.
Pacheco Cartagena
Ricardo Max
RM
Cortés Flores
Raúl
R
Hernández Herrera
Ricardo J
RJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D017359:HELLP Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010949:Plasma; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult