A comparative study of antihypertensive efficacy and perinatal safety of intravenous hydralazine and labetalol in pregnancy induced hypertensive crisis

The study was conducted at Jay Kay Lon mother and child hospital, Government Medical College, Kota (Rajasthan) over a period of one year (2015-16) to compare efficacy of intravenous hydralazine and labetalol in lowering blood pressure in pregnancy induced hypertensive crisis. 200 women included in the study divided into two groups (100 each).Group A receive intravenous hydralazine and Group B intravenous labetalol. The pre-treatment mean arterial pressure was 132.33 mmHg in hydralazine group and 130. 39mm Hg in labetalol group. After treatment the mean arterial pressure was 110. 9mmHg for hydralazine group and 111.22mmHg for labetalol group. Mean time to achieve BP control in hydralazine group was 23.6 minutes and in labetalol group 30.8 minutes. Significantly lesser no of drug doses required in hydralazine group. None of the patients had persistent severe hypertension after receiving maximum drug dosage. None had postural hypotension. No significant difference was found in maternal and perinatal outcome. Thus both hydralazine and labetalol are effective, rapid and safe antihypertensive agents but hydralazine is superior in its impact as it lowered mean arterial pressure more rapidly and requiring lesser number of drug doses to achieve target blood pressure.