Background: The current Canadian guidelines endorse the use of MgSO4 for treatment of eclampsia and for prophylaxis in severe preeclampsia. Our study aimed to audit our institution's compliance regarding these guidelines.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate MgSO4 use in: all our cases of eclampsia since 2002, 50 cases of severe preeclampsia, and 50 cases of non-severe preeclampsia.
Results: Sixty-five cases of preeclampsia were analyzed after initial chart review. A high rate of preeclampsia severity misdiagnosis was observed (35%, 23/65). Only 69% (25/36) of the patients correctly diagnosed with severe preeclampsia received MgSO4; after diagnosis correction, 42% (25/59) of the patients with severe preeclampsia received the medication. Of our eight cases of eclampsia, none of the patients received MgSO4 before the seizure (although three had clear indications).
Conclusion: Given the importance of prophylactic MgSO4 use in preventing eclampsia, we have implemented informative measures aimed at rapidly achieving complete compliance with the national guidelines.
Keywords: Severe preeclampsia; eclampsia; magnesium sulfate; non-severe preeclampsia.