Pregnancy-induced Hypertension Syndrome (PIHS)

Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) or gestational hypertension is the development of new hypertension in a pregnant woman after 20 weeks gestation without the presence of protein in the urine or other signs of preeclampsia. Gestational hypertension and preeclampsia/eclampsia are hypertensive disorders induced by pregnancy; both disorders resolve postpartum. Gestational hypertension is the most common cause of hypertension in pregnant women. Pregnancy-induced hypertension is a multisystem disease with life-threatening complications requiring expert nursing and medical management. Nurses caring for critically ill patients with this disease must be knowledgeable about the pathophysiologic occurrences of PIH as well as the protocols for anticonvulsant and antihypertensive therapy.