How is eclampsia treated in a neuro-ICU?
Treatment of eclampsia has three objectives: • Control of hypertension. Anti-hypertensive agents are administered for this purpose. The most commonly used drugs are labetolol, nicardipine, and nitroprusside. • Management of seizures. Magnesium sulfate is highly effective for the treatment of seizures which arise as a result of eclampsia. Thus magnesium sulfate remains a standard therapy for the treatment of eclampsia. Seizures can also be controlled byanticonvulsant drugs such as diazepam and phenytoin. • Treatment of cerebral edema. It is common for the increased blood pressure associated with pre-eclampsia to cause leakage of fluid from the blood vessels supplying the brain. Under these circumstances the brain can become swollen with fluid, a condition known as cerebral edema. Cerebral edema can give rise to a dangerous increase in the pressure within the skull (intracranial pressure or ICP). Cerebral edema is treated with: (a) hyperventilation, which causes the blood to become overl
