Before Your First: Preeclampsia Workup

Preeclampsia complicates roughly 10% of pregnancies and accounts for up to 9% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. — which makes it one of the highest-stakes diagnoses you'll manage as an intern. In this episode, Dr. Anna Jarvis walks through the hypertensive spectrum, how to get the diagnosis right, when to worry about severe features or HELLP syndrome, how to rule out the mimics, and how fast you need to move when things get acute. Resources: ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 222 — Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia (2020) Magee LA, Nicolaides KH, von Dadelszen P. "Preeclampsia." N Engl J Med. 2022;386:1817–1832 Sibai BM. "Imitators of Severe Preeclampsia." Obstet Gynecol. 2007;109(4):956–66 ACOG/SMFM Practice Advisory — Low-Dose Aspirin Use for Prevention of Preeclampsia (2021, reaffirmed) Topics to Review Over Time: Chronic hypertension in pregnancy: antihypertensive selection and BP targets Low-dose aspirin prophylaxis — who qualifies and when to start Eclampsia: seizure management and post-seizure stabilization Postpartum antihypertensive management and medication safety in lactation Long-term cardiovascular risk counseling after a hypertensive pregnancy disorder About the Speakers: Host: Lucy Brown, MD, MPH – Resident physician at Johns Hopkins GYN/OB. Dr. Brown is passionate about medical and resident education and will be pursuing a Fellowship in Complex Family Planning after residency. Guest Speaker: Anna Cardall Jarvis, MD – First-year Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellow at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her clinical and research interests focus on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, maternal cardiovascular disease, and improving outcomes for pregnant patients with chronic medical conditions. She is also actively involved in medical education, teaching and mentoring medical students and residents. Intern Ready: Ob/Gyn is a podcast aimed at interns and off-service residents beginning their post-graduate training in Obstetrics and Gynecology. The views expressed are the speakers' own and do not constitute medical advice.