Hypertension in Pregnancy, Early Online:1–13, 2009 Copyright © Informa UK Ltd. ISSN: 1064-1955 print / 1525-6065 online DOI: 10.3109/10641950902972140 LHIP 1064-1955 1525-6065 Hypertension in Pregnancy, Vol. 1, No. 1, June 2009: pp. 1–25 Hypertension in Pregnancy Acute Pulmonary Oedema as a Complication of Hypertension During Pregnancy Acute Pulmonary Oedema During Pregnancy Thornton et al. Charlene E. Thornton, 1 Peter von Dadelszen, 2 Angela Makris, 3 Jane M. Tooher, 4 Robert F. Ogle, 4 and Annemarie Hennessy 1 1 School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia 2 University of British Columbia, British Columbia Women’s Hospital and Health Centre, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit, Vancouver, Canada 3 Heart Research Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia 4 Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Women and Babies, Sydney, Australia Objective. To determine rates of and potential causative factors for acute pulmonary oedema (APO) in hypertensive women. Methods. Statistical analysis, including logis- tic regression, was applied to the individual patient data (IPD) of all hypertensive women who delivered in 2005 at two comparable units. Results. Of 880 cases analysed, there were no women with APO in unit one and 19 women in unit two. The women with APO received larger quantities of intravenous fluids, delivered at earlier gestations, via Caesarean section, following failed induction of labour and had a longer hospital stay. Conclusion. The development of APO in women with hypertension during pregnancy is associated with high levels of intravenous fluid administration. Keywords Acute pulmonary oedema, Hypertension, Preeclampsia. INTRODUCTION Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy contribute to significant mortality and morbidity worldwide, and affect 5% of pregnancies. Rapid onset interstitial fluid accumulation in the lungs, acute pulmonary oedema (APO), is a poten- tial complication of maternal hypertension, seen particularly in women with preeclampsia and eclampsia. APO has also been linked to increased maternal age, delivery via Caesarean section, body mass index, parity, undiagnosed Address correspondence to Charlene E. Thornton, Locked Bag 1797, University of West- ern Sydney, School of Medicine, Penrith South, DC NSW 1797. E-mail: charlene.thornton@ uws.edu.au Hypertens Pregnancy Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by University of British Columbia on 08/13/10 For personal use only.