ST. ANTHONY COLLEGE OF ROXAS CITY, INC.

COLLEGE OF NURSING

A CASE STUDY
(PREECLAMPSIA)

A Partial Fulfilment in the Requirements

In
NCM 188

Submitted by:
LEA LARA R. RELOX, SN
BSN-IV

Submitted to:
MS. CAREN F. ABUDE, RN
CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR
 ST. ANTHONY COLLEGE OF ROXAS CITY, INC.

COLLEGE OF NURSING

Vital Information
Patients Name: A.C
Age: 30
Sex: Female
Date of Admission: October 11, 2021
CC/ Working Diagnosis: Increased BP, dizziness, 37 weeks UTZ AOG (G3P2) t/c Preeclampsia
Attending Physician: Dr. B. Sanchez
Referral/ Co managed by: Dr. So
Vital Signs:
 Temperature: 36.8
 Heart rate: 20
 Blood pressure: 130/110
 Respiration rate: 20

Textbook Discussion
Preeclampsia has been defined by the presence of new onset hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks
gestation. It is a complex, progressive, multisystem disorder of pregnancy that can present in different
forms, with some women experiencing unremitting headaches or severe right upper quadrant pain and
others experiencing no symptoms before prenatal visits reveal they have elevated blood pressure and
protein in their urine.
Signs and Symptoms:
 Proteinuria
 Edema
 Hypertension
Clinical Manifestation Manifested by the Patient Rationale
Proteinuria
Edema
Hypertension / May be indicative of
preeclampsia when present
during pregnancy.
 ST. ANTHONY COLLEGE OF ROXAS CITY, INC.

COLLEGE OF NURSING

Risk factors:
 Gravida >5
 Age <18 or >35
 Multiple Gestation
 Low Socio-economic status
 With underlying disease
Treatment:
Client with mild preeclampsia can be managed at home with frequent follow up care.
 Promote bed rest. When the body is in recumbent position, sodium tends to be excreted at a
faster rate rather than during activity. Bed rest, therefore, is the best method of aiding increased
evacuation of sodium encouraging diuresis. Rest should always be in a lateral recumbent position
to avoid uterine pressure on the vena cava and pressure and prevent supine hypotension syndrome.

 Promote good nutrition. A woman needs to continue her usual pregnancy diet. At one time,
stringent restriction of salt was advised to reduce edema. This is no longer true because
stringement sodium restriction may activate the renin angiotensin aldosterone system and result in
increased blood pressure, compounding problem.

 Provide Emotional support. With mild preeclampsia, no medication is prescribed. Thus instruct
the woman such as getting rest lightly and to get an additional rest during a day.
Laboratory test:
 CBC- is ordered to look for changes in the blood associated with preeclampsia, such as low
platelet counts.
 Creatinine- kidney function test used to look for organ damage resulting from preeclampsia; serum
creatinine will be measured frequently to monitor the condition.
 Sodium- to monitor if there is a high serum sodium in the body which can cause the blood
pressure to raise.
 Potassium- serum potassium will be evaluated to monitor if there is a normal value of potassium
in the body, because potassium aids in easing the tension in the blood vessel walls, which helps to
lower the blood pressure.
 Calcium- intracellular calcium plays a crucial role in the regulation of cardiovascular functions: an
increased influx of calcium into the vascular smooth muscle cells leads to an augmental muscular
tone and therefore to an increased vascular resistance and rise in blood pressure.
 Magnesium- Magnesium affects blood pressure by modulating vascular tone and reactivity.
ST. ANTHONY COLLEGE OF ROXAS CITY, INC.

COLLEGE OF NURSING

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
ST. ANTHONY COLLEGE OF ROXAS CITY, INC.

COLLEGE OF NURSING