OBJECTIVE:

To describe echocardiographic values in patients with a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia with severity criteria.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study performed in patients with a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia with severity criteria. Inclusion criteria: patients older than 18 years, with a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia, hospitalized in the intensive care unit between June and September 2022. Exclusion criteria: patients with heart disease or septic processes. All patients underwent echocardiography. Variables related to systolic and diastolic function were described.

RESULTS:

20 patients were studied; 6 of them required admission to intensive care due to blood pressure higher than 160-90 mmHg. Six patients were found to have renal damage (serum creatinine greater than 1.1 mg/dL) and 4 with HELLP syndrome. Systolic dysfunction was diagnosed in 6 patients, 4 with early preeclampsia meeting the severity criteria and 2 with late preeclampsia and the same feature of systolic dysfunction. Among patients with pre-eclampsia meeting the severity criteria, 10 had diastolic dysfunction; 7 with early pre-eclampsia and 3 with late pre-eclampsia.

CONCLUSION:

Despite the small sample size, a detailed view of systolic and diastolic function in patients with pre-eclampsia with severity criteria is provided. It shows that cardiac sonographic assessment may have significant implications for prognosis and personalized medical care for each patient.