Women who had pre-eclampsia or gestational hypertension carry a higher lifetime risk of chronic hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Blood pressure often peaks in the first week after birth, and the discharge summary is the best chance to hand that risk to whoever will see her next.
Write the diagnosis clearly in the discharge letter, arrange an early blood pressure review, and ask the GP to record the pregnancy complication as a cardiovascular risk factor so that it prompts checks in the years ahead.
- Check blood pressure in the first week after discharge for any hypertensive pregnancy
- Name the hypertensive disorder explicitly in the discharge letter
- Ask primary care to code it as a cardiovascular risk factor
- Advise at least yearly blood pressure checks after a hypertensive pregnancy
Why it matters
The obstetric team is often the only one who knows the diagnosis, and it rarely travels on its own.
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