Normative postpartum intraabdominal pressure: potential implications in the diagnosis of abdominal compartment syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to establish normative values of intraabdominal pressure (IAP) in postpartum women with and without arterial hypertension.


METHODS
Bladder pressure was measured via a Foley catheter 1 hour following completion of cesarean section in supine and semirecumbent positions in 21 patients.


RESULTS
Mean supine IAP (6.4 +/- 5.2 mm Hg) was significantly lower than semirecumbent IAP (11.6 +/- 7.2 mm Hg) (P < .05). Body mass index (BMI) was significantly correlated to IAP regardless of the gestational age (r(2) supine = 0.46, semirecumbent = 0.37; P = .004 for either). Increasing gravidity was associated with decreasing IAP. Patients with arterial hypertension had higher BMI, were delivered earlier, and had higher IAP than patients with normal arterial pressure, either in supine or semirecumbent position. However, these relationships were not significant when results were controlled for BMI.


CONCLUSIONS
Postcesarean section IAP is higher than in the general surgical population. Patients with hypertensive disorders have IAPs approaching to intraabdominal hypertension range.
Abdel-Razeq
Sonya S
SS
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Campbell
Katherine
K
Funai
Edmund F
EF
Kaplan
Lewis J
LJ
Bahtiyar
Mert Ozan
MO
D034841:Abdominal Cavity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000328:Adult; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D003161:Compartment Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008365:Manometry / Q000379:methods; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011312:Pressure; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016683:Supine Position; D001743:Urinary Bladder