Magnesium Sulfate for Control of Eclampsia: Do Indian Women Need Lower Doses?
Background: Pritchard regime is considered the benchmark for control of convulsions in patients with eclampsia. Indian patients with smaller body mass may require smaller doses of Magnesium sulfate. Aims: To compare the efficacy of low dose magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) regimen in eclampsia with standard Pritchard’s regimen. Materials and methods: A total of 60 patients presenting with eclampsia were recruited and randomly divided into two groups: Group A: 30 patients who received standard Pritchard’s regime and Group B: 30 patients who were given low dose MgSO4. The outcome was measured in terms of effectiveness in control of convulsions and magnesium related toxicity. Results: Overall success rate was 100% with a low dose regimen as compared to 93.3% with Pritchard’s regimen. Failure to control convulsions was noted in two patients on Pritchard’s regimen group as compared to none on a low dose regimen (p <0.01). No difference was observed among study groups with respect to the type of delivery (p <0.59). Maternal complications were higher in cases receiving Pritchard’s regimen: loss of knee jerk (30% vs. 16.7%), oliguria (16.7% vs. 10%) and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) (23.3% vs. 16.7%). However, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: A lower dose of magnesium sulfate is equally efficient with fewer complications as compared to the standard dose regimen in the management of eclampsia.