Hypertension in Pregnancy #09: Hypertensive Crisis

Course overview

The US is the only industrialized nation with a rising rate of both maternal mortality and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. The root cause is complex but a lack of readiness, recognition, and response to various hypertensive disorders increases the likelihood of harm from maternal severe hypertension/preeclampsia; this opens the door to malpractice risk exposure. Due to the severity of this problem, the US Surgeon General implemented a call to action to: 1) reduce the maternal mortality rate by 50%, and 2) achieve blood pressure control in 80% of women with hypertension who are of reproductive age. To meet both objectives by 2025, all stakeholders must get involved. Implementing The Joint Commission perinatal safety standards into your clinical practice and your facility's obstetric hypertension plan is recommended to reduce harm from severe hypertension/preeclampsia nationwide. This is the ninth of 17 modules in our hypertension in pregnancy series that highlights maternal stroke risk during pregnancy and postpartum and focuses on how to improve early recognition and response to a hypertensive crisis by obstetric or emergency department personnel. Improving recognition and response skills to a hypertensive crisis can reduce the risk of harm to pregnant and postpartum women and decrease risk exposure.