In plain words
A severe-range blood pressure is a reading high enough that clinicians treat it as an emergency when it lasts. In pregnancy and the postpartum period, the threshold is 160 or higher for the top number, or 110 or higher for the bottom number. The reading is confirmed by a repeat check within about 15 minutes. A single high reading can come from stress, pain, or a cuff that is the wrong size, so clinicians recheck it. If the reading holds, the next step is prompt treatment rather than waiting. Mothers may hear about this range during labor or after birth, and it is part of why the care team checks blood pressure often in the first days. This entry describes the reading. It is the same concept as the entry, which describes the condition.
The deeper version
ACOG defines severe-range blood pressure as systolic 160 mm Hg or higher or diastolic 110 mm Hg or higher, persisting for 15 minutes or confirmed on repeat measurement within that interval (Committee Opinion 767, 2019). Readings in this range in pregnancy or the postpartum period warrant antihypertensive treatment within 30 to 60 minutes, according to the same opinion. The California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health severe hypertension bundles use the same cut-offs as triggers for urgent treatment. Accurate measurement requires a correctly sized cuff and a seated, rested patient.
Where it comes up
- High blood pressure and preeclampsiaPregnancy: Your Body
- The hospital stay: what happens, what to askBirth and the First Days
What mothers here say about severe-range blood pressure
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Committee Opinion 767: Emergent therapy for acute-onset, severe hypertension during pregnancy and the postpartum period, 2019