COMPARISON OF OUTCOME OF LABETALOL OR HYDRALAZINE THERAPY DURING HYPERTENSION IN PREGNANCY IN VERY-LOW-BIRTH-WEIGHT INFANTS

Ninety-seven women with moderate to severe preeclampsia (PE) were allo cated at random to labetalol or hydralazine treatment. Of these, 22 wo men with severe PE gave birth to neonates with VLBW (very low birth we ight less-than-or-equal-to 1500 g). Seven were allocated to labetalol treatment (Group A), eight to hydralazine treatment (Group B) and seve n women received both drugs due to poor blood pressure control with a single drug therapy (Group C). No difference in cesarean section rate or in the indication for operative delivery could be seen. Gestational age was 29.9 weeks (25.4-32.5) in Group A, 28.6 weeks (26.6-33.4) in Group B and 27.3 weeks (26.7-31.1) in Group C (median and range). Birt h weight did not differ between groups and 13 of the 22 infants weighe d below 1000 g. There was a tendency to lower Apgar scores at rive min utes in the hydralazine group. Time spent in the neonatal intensive ca re unit did not differ between groups. Five of the 11 neonates with ge stational age (GA) less-than-or-equal-to 28 weeks and three of the sev en neonates in GA 29-30 weeks died. Neither the number of infants requ iring intermittent positive pressure ventilation or duration of O2-tre atment, nor number of infants with respiratory distress syndrome diffe red between groups. We did not find any difference in the outcome of t he VLBW infants when the hypertensive mother had been treated with eit her hydralazine or labetalol.