Patient recruitment and criteria
heart disease, allergy, eclampsia, asthma, decreased consciousness
HELLP SYNDROME, ACUTE PULMONARY OEDEMA, HEART DISEASE, ALLERGY, SEVERE PREECLAMPSIA, ECLAMPSIA, KIDNEY FAILURE, ASTHMA, FOETAL DISTRESS, PLACENTAL ABRUPTION, COMPLICATIONS
The severe preeclampsia patients were recruited consecutively from populations that met the inclusion criteria. The minimal sample size of the study was 13 patients for each arm. This number based on calculation based on formula:
However, a total of 20 severe preeclampsia patients were recruited for each group to prevent underpower due to drop-out and therefore there were 60 patients included in this study. The severe preeclampsia was defined as pregnant women with systolic blood pressure ≥160 mmHg or diastolic ≥110 mmHg that persisted for 15 minutes. Inclusion criteria were: (a) severe preeclampsia patient with 28–34-week gestation; (b) had live foetus; (c) upper arm circumference 23.5–33 cm; and (d) haemoglobin level at least 10.5 g/dL. All severe preeclampsia patients with decreased consciousness; had complications such as eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, kidney failure, or acute pulmonary oedema; in labour; received antihypertensive therapy in the last 12 hours; had an allergy to the trial drugs; and had asthma and heart disease were excluded. In this study the drop-out criteria were: the mother experienced allergy symptoms, had labour, or emergency symptoms such as placental abruption and foetal distress during the study.