Author(s)

Uzoma Otutoaja¹, Adeyemo Olabisi Timothy^1*, Emmanuel Olumide Adewara¹, Olufunmilayo Victoria Adebara², Augustine Adebayo Adeniyi¹, Babatunde Sunday Awoyinka¹, Raymond Akujuobi Okere¹, Idowu Oluseyi Adebara¹, Adewumi Bakare¹, Mojisola Olumide Ayankunle¹

¹Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ado-Ekiti/Federal Teaching Hospital, Afe Babalola University, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria.
²Department of Paediatrics, Ado-Ekiti/Federal Teaching Hospital, Afe Babalola University, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria.

Objective: Intravenous labetalol and hydralazine are both considered first-line medications for the management of acute-onset, severe hypertension in pregnant and postpartum women. The study compared the efficacy and safety profile of intravenous labetalol and hydralazine in the control hypertension in severe pre-eclampsia. Materials and Methods: One hundred patients who presented with severe pre-eclampsia were randomized into two study groups. The fifty patients in each arm of the study received either intravenous labetalol or intravenous hydralazine for the control of blood pressure. Results: The mean age of the labetalol subjects was 28.6 ± 5.47 years while that of their hydralazine counterparts was 29.12 ± 5.77 years. The majority of respondents in both groups were primigravidae (76% vs. 78%) (P = 0.813). The number of doses of drug needed to significantly lower the mean systolic blood pressure was slightly lower in the labetalol group (2 doses) compared to the hydralazine group (5 doses) (t = 0.803^Y, P = 0.977). The incidence of headaches which were the commonest complaints was comparable in both groups 8% and 10% of respondents respectively (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Although both intravenous labetalol and hydralazine are useful in patients with severe pre-eclampsia, the response to labetalol was better with comparable side effects.

Blood Pressure, Hydralazine, Labetalol, Low-Resource Setting Severe Pre-Eclampsia, Side Effects

Otutoaja, U. , Timothy, A. , Adewara, E. , Adebara, O. , Adeniyi, A. , Awoyinka, B. , Okere, R. , Adebara, I. , Bakare, A. and Ayankunle, M. (2023) Labetalol versus Hydralazine in the Management of Severe Pre-Eclampsia at Tertiary Hospitals in a Low-Resource Setting: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 13, 1058-1067. doi: 10.4236/ojog.2023.136090.