Effect of epidural analgesia on maximum and minimum blood pressures during the first stage of labour in primigravidae with mild/moderate gestational hypertension.

One of the arguments used in favour of epidural analgesia for hypertensive patients in labour is its effect on mean arterial blood pressure, although the fetal and maternal risk from hypertension is more closely linked to maximum recorded levels. We have therefore assessed the effect of epidural analgesia on maximum blood pressure. There was no change in the maximum systolic or diastolic blood pressure after epidural analgesia when compared to baseline values or levels in untreated hypertensive controls. We conclude that this form of analgesia should be offered to hypertensive patients purely for its analgesic effect and not as a method for blood pressure control.