Pregnancy-induced hypertension is one of the most dangerous conditions causing maternal death. Moreover, this disease can lead to significant damage to the unborn child. Hypertension contributes to the expansion of the vasoconstriction process, and, as a result, the blood supply becomes disturbed. All vital organs suffer because of the lack of blood transmission causing life-threatening consequences. An insufficient blood supply also affects the placenta preventing the nutrients and oxygen from transmitting to the fetus. Therefore, the normal timely development of the fetus becomes impossible. There is a severe risk of placental abruption, which can cause internal bleeding and abrupt death of the mother and child.
High blood pressure can also cause such complications as preeclampsia. The nurses are responsible for the timely identification of the possible symptoms of this complication. Several pre-symptoms emphasize the risk of this illness’s development. Edema, a significant weight gain, and the presence of protein in the urine are possible indicators of preeclampsia (Andersen et al., 2020). The essential factor which can be easily identified in the pregnant woman is the headache, blurred vision, and pain in the upper abdomen (Banfield et al., 2018). In case when clinicians overlook preeclampsia at its early stages of development; it can cause eclampsia occurrence. In this condition, the pregnant woman experiences loss of consciousness and seizures (Banfield et al., 2018). These dangerous problems almost immediately lead to irreversible fetus damage.
The less harmful complications of pregnancy-induced hypertension can be identified in the fetus’s weight. According to the World Health Organization, low birth weight is a significant issue contributing to the development of consequent illnesses (Dessie et al., 2020). In most cases, such a condition is caused by pregnancy-induced hypertension and placental insufficiency. Therefore, in order to avoid life-threatening complications for the mother and child, clinicians should be able to estimate the patient’s condition accurately.
Not only the mother at significant risk of developing fatal conditions but also the child. The fact that the child is born does not exclude the damage caused to the fetus while in the womb. Various practical research emphasizes that infants’ mortality decreased when pregnancy-induced hypertension was not appropriately addressed (Banfield et al., 2018). The researchers also emphasize that nursing errors in identifying pregnancy-induced hypertension can lead to fatal outcomes for the patients (Andersen et al., 2020). Children are susceptible to the development of various metabolic and hormonal disorders. Moreover, they are at significant risk of having chronic cardiovascular diseases. The incorrect interpretation of the symptoms can cause such misjudgments. Kidney pathology, lesions of the renal arteries, pheochromocytoma, coarctation of the aorta, and even medications can cause similar symptoms (Andersen et al., 2020). The traditional treatment method implies the exclusion of all the mentioned pathologies to identify pregnancy-induced hypertension (Andersen et al., 2020). However, all these tests can take a lot of time which can contribute to illness development. Therefore, medical providers should implement more fast, innovative methods of illness detection.
The researchers constantly hold experiments to find treatment opportunities for pregnancy-induced hypertension. A recent investigation shows that even a slight deviation from the average blood pressure rate at the beginning of the pregnancy indicates an increased risk of hypertension in 30 percent of cases (Andersen et al., 2020). Moreover, the researchers calculated the risk of cardiovascular diseases in children with the mother’s pregnancy-induced hypertension (Andersen et al., 2020). These indicators can be helpful in identifying and treatment of hypertension. The research recommendations are to pay attention even to slightly elevated blood pressure at the beginning of the pregnancy (Andersen et al., 2020). Thus, clinicians have a higher chance of preventing pregnancy-induced hypertension by analyzing all the mentioned above factors.
Today various technologies and approaches are developed and applied to indicate pregnancy-induced hypertension (Guo et al., 2018). Insulin resistance and autonomic nervous system imbalance are considered the most productive parameters which reflect hypertension in pregnant patients (Guo et al., 2018). The unique methods to interpret these parameters in relation to pregnancy-induced hypertension are constantly upgraded. Moreover, other approaches are created to extend the traditional indexes for individualized treatment of hypertension (Guo et al., 2018). As a result, medical research is constantly developing, and nurses should be aware of the innovations that can contribute to the death rates decrease.
In order to provide high-quality research on the symptoms, nurses should be well trained. Therefore, there is a direct correlation between patient safety and nurses’ education. The researchers believe that nurses’ training is one of the most crucial factors in providing safe treatment (Cant et al., 2020). Considering the fact that nurses spend much time with the patients, they should be able to identify the dangerous pre-illness conditions quickly. Different educational programs which help nurses diagnose hypertension-related diseases should be implemented. The educational sessions on early signs of pregnancy-induced hypertension allow nurses to compare gained knowledge and analyze the colleague’s experience through the discussion. Moreover, the specific training can contribute to the more efficient usage of the technologies to indicate hypertension in pregnant patients more quickly. Thus, attending the training sessions increase patients’ safety because nurses gain practically-oriented knowledge.
References
Andersen, L., Andersen, M., Birukov, A., Bruun, S., Busjahn, A., Christesen, H., Dechend, R., Golic, M., Haase, N., Herse, F., Jensen, B., Jensen, T., Jorgensen, J., Kyhl, H., Kraker, K., Muller, D., Nielsen, J. (2020). Blood pressure and angiogenic markers in pregnancy. Hypertension, 45(7), 901–909. Web.
Banfield, L., Florendo-Chin, A., McDonald, S., Mulerji, A., Razak, A., Shah, P., & Wahan, A. (2018). Pregnancy-induced hypertension and neonatal outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Perinatol, 38, 46–53. Web.
Cant, R., Cooper, S., & Lam, L. (2020). Hospital nurses’ simulation-based education regarding patient safety: A scoping review. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 44, 19–34. Web.
Dessie, G., Desta, M., Getaneh, T., & Negesse, A. (2020). The impact of pregnancy induced hypertension on low birth weight in Ethiopia: Systematic review and meta analysis. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 46, 1–11. Web.
Guo, G, Guo, J., & Liu, G. (2018). Association of insulin resistance and autonomic tone in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension. Clin Exp Hypertens, 40(5), 478–480. Web.