Admission into intensive care unit in preeclampsia: a four-year population-based study in Reunion Island.

INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The objective of our study was to study risk factors and complications associated with severe preeclampsia requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. METHODS: Retrospective comparative study over a period from 1st of January 2015 to 1st of January 2019 in the University's maternity unit of South Reunion (Indian Ocean). Our sampling included all preeclamptic patients who delivered in the Southern part of the island. Patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) and those who remained in the maternity unit (controls) were reviewed. RESULTS: Out of 482 preeclampsia cases, 94 women (19.5%) needed a transfer in ICU, of which only 21 (4.3%) needed invasive intensive care. Mean length of stay was 2.4 ± 2.1 days. ICU admission was associated with HELLP syndrome (OR 8.5 [4.9-14.9], p<.001), severe post-partum hemorrhage (OR 5.86 [1.29-26.70], p=.01) and early onset of preeclampsia (<34 weeks gestation), 2.97 [1.9-4.7], p<.001), leading to higher rate of C-section (OR 2.83 [1.67-4.78], p<.001). There were three patients with a history of eclampsia and no case of maternal death was reported. Fetal prognosis was much poorer in maternal ICU admissions than in controls, with outcomes including lower birth weight (1776 vs. 2304 g, p<.001) and higher perinatal morbidity (infant respiratory distress syndrome 3.70 [1.94-7.05], p<.001) and mortality (<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Women needing invasive ICU represented 4.3% of preeclampsia cases. This experience is of interest for lower resource settings such as in countries like Madagascar where very intensive ICU means are very poor, but simpler ICU surveillance is possible. Fetal prognosis was poor though no maternal death was reported. Thus, a multidisciplinary approach of patients with preeclampsia should be encouraged; admission into ICU should be facilitated, as soon as any sign of severity and complications appears.

Incidence and natural history of preeclampsia/eclampsia at the university maternity of Antananarivo, Madagascar: high prevalence of the early-onset condition.

Objectives: To investigate the incidence of early - (delivery <34 weeks) (EOP) versus late-onset (delivery ≥34 weeks) (LOP) in Madagascar. Study design: Eight months observational study of all preeclamptic/eclamptic women delivering at the maternity of the University Hospital of Befelatanana, Antananarivo, Madagascar. Sociodemographical and obstetrical risk factors are analyzed. Results: Over the study period, we found 142 combined preeclampsia/eclampsia among 4316 births (incidence 3.3% for singleton pregnancies), of which 65 eclampsia (1.5% of all deliveries). The rate of delivery <34 weeks of gestation in preeclamptic women was 37.3% and 38.5% in eclamptic ones. The overall rate of fetal and neonatal mortality was of 50% (71/142). In EO forms the infant death rate was 83% (44/53), of which approximately 33% were due to intrauterine fetal death. In LO forms, the infant death rate was 20% in preeclampsia (15% of fetal deaths), while in case of maternal eclamptic seizures the infant mortality rate was doubled (40%). There were seven maternal deaths (of which four were eclamptic women). Conclusions: We have in Madagascar a high rate of early-onset preeclampsia/eclampsia EOP (37% versus approximately 10% in international literature) and a consequent worrying rate of maternal-fetal mortality. We could find other high incidence of EOP in nine other geographical locations: Guadeloupe (31%), Réunion (31%), Mauritius (34%), Cameroon (37.4%), China (38%), Zimbabwe (58%), Thailand (34%), Turkey (29%), and India (26%). Emerging and tropical countries may belong to the "high rate of EOP standard." There is an urgent need to have additional data from these areas to confirm the hypothesis.