Policies and observed use of MgSO4 for severe pre-eclampsia, eclampsia or HELLP, for fetal neuroprotection or for tocolysis in women delivering very preterm (<32 weeks of gestation) in European obstetrical units
| Maternity units (n=119) | Women with severe pre-eclampsia (n=720) | Percentage of pre-eclamptic women receiving MgSO4 in units | Women without pre-eclampsia, eclampsia or HELLP (n=3658) | Percentage of non-pre-eclamptic women receiving MgSO4 in units | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | Median (IQR) | n (%) | Median (IQR) | |
| Unit policy for pre-eclampsia | |||||
| MgSO4 whenever possible | 49 (41.2) | 296 (41.1) | 25.0 (0–60.0) | 1623 (44.4) | 0 (0–3.0) |
| MgSO4 sometimes | 49 (41.2) | 339 (47.1) | 12.5 (0–42.9) | 1554 (42.5) | 0 (0–0) |
| Never | 5 (4.2) | 32 (4.4) | 0 (0–0) | 145 (4.0) | 0 (0–0) |
| No response* | 16 (13.4) | 53 (7.4) | 34.8 (0–60.0) | 336 (9.2) | 0 (0–1.4) |
| Unit policy for neuroprotection | |||||
| MgSO4 whenever possible | 9 (7.6) | 69 (9.6) | 33.3 (16.7–72.7) | 260 (7.1) | 14.3 (0–37.8) |
| MgSO4 sometimes | 19 (16.0) | 118 (16.4) | 20.0 (0–60.0) | 749 (20.5) | 0 (0–4.8) |
| Never | 70 (58.8) | 454 (63.1) | 11.8 (0–50.0) | 2173 (59.4) | 0 (0–0) |
| No response† | 21 (17.6) | 79 (11.0) | 36.4 (0–60.0) | 476 (13.0) | 0 (0–1.9) |
| MgSO4 is a first-line tocolytic | 1 (0.88) | 0 (0.0) | 0.0 | 8 (0.2) | 0.0 |
*Includes 10 units that returned the questionnaire, but did not respond to this question and six units that did not return the unit questionnaire.
†Includes 15 units that returned the questionnaire, but did not respond to this question and six units that did not return the unit questionnaire.
MgSO4, magnesium sulfate.