[Anesthesia and intensive therapy of pregnant women with the HELLP syndrome].

The HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count) is a severe complication of pre-eclampsia with high risk for mother and fetus. During the last 40 months 27 parturients met the diagnostic criteria for HELLP syndrome in the University Hospital of Kiel (Tables 1-3). In 24 cases cesarean section was performed. Fetal mortality was 17.2%. In 13 women an uneventful clinical course resulted, all other patients developed complications: renal insufficiency (11 cases), disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) (4), intracerebral hemorrhage (1), cerebrovascular ischemia (1), eclamptic convulsions (3), reoperation due to intra- or extra-abdominal hemorrhage (4), severe blood loss ex vagina following spontaneous delivery (1), and liver rupture (1). Despite these severe complications no maternal death was observed. DIC, intrauterine death, and a rapid increase in liver enzymes are considered to be serious prognostic factors that could help to identify high-risk patients. The following recommendations for therapy of parturients suffering from HELLP syndrome are given: epidural anesthesia is not an appropriate method in HELLP syndrome because of the risk of epidural hemorrhage due to thrombopenia. At the present time general anesthesia seems to be the method of choice. Inhalation anesthetics such as halothane, enflurane, or isoflurane should probably be omitted in view of the preexisting hepatopathy. The high risk and the unpredictable postpartum course strongly indicate intensive care for parturients with HELLP syndrome. Antihypertensive, antieclamptic therapy and prophylactic measures to avoid renal insufficiency or hemorrhage (e.g. early substitution of erythrocytes, thrombocytes, and coagulation factors) deserve special attention. Co-operation between obstetrician and anesthesiologist is essential to obtain optimal therapy for these high-risk patients.