Use of a Cloud-connected Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring Program During the Postpartum Period for Hypertensive Women (BP-ME)

University of South Carolina

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Hypertensive Disorder

Treatments: Device: Blood pressure cuff

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06096701

2085188

Details and patient eligibility

About

Hypertensive disorders (HD), including preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, chronic hypertension, and chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia, affect around 10-20% of pregnant women in the United States and are significantly associated with maternal mortality and morbidity, particularly in the postpartum period. The prevalence of HD is on the rise in the United States and has increased from 13% in 2017 to 16% in 2019 owing to an increase in advanced maternal age, obesity, and diabetes. There are major racial disparities in HD and subsequent maternal mortality and morbidity. HD affect more than 1 in 5 delivery hospitalizations of Black women. Black women with HD are also more likely than white women with HD to have more adverse postpartum blood pressure trajectories which leads to a higher incidence of hypertension related hospital readmissions (readmission for hypertension during the first 6-weeks postpartum: 16.9% among Black women vs. 9.5% among white women, p=0.02) and cardiovascular-related adverse events. However, most of the management recommendations have been centered around blood pressure targets during the antepartum period with significantly less attention paid to the postpartum period despite evidence showing that hypertensive disorders are the most common reason for postpartum readmissions and are associated with increased maternal mortality and morbidity and a significant cost burden.

Full description

Hypertensive disorders (HD), including preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, chronic hypertension, and chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia, affect around 10-20% of pregnant women in the United States and are significantly associated with maternal mortality and morbidity, particularly in the postpartum period. The prevalence of HD is on the rise in the United States and has increased from 13% in 2017 to 16% in 2019 owing to an increase in advanced maternal age, obesity, and diabetes. There are major racial disparities in HD and subsequent maternal mortality and morbidity. HD affect more than 1 in 5 delivery hospitalizations of Black women. Black women with HD are also more likely than white women with HD to have more adverse postpartum blood pressure trajectories which leads to a higher incidence of hypertension related hospital readmissions (readmission for hypertension during the first 6-weeks postpartum: 16.9% among Black women vs. 9.5% among white women, p=0.02) and cardiovascular-related adverse events. However, most of the management recommendations have been centered around blood pressure targets during the antepartum period with significantly less attention paid to the postpartum period despite evidence showing that hypertensive disorders are the most common reason for postpartum readmissions and are associated with increased maternal mortality and morbidity and a significant cost burden.

Enrollment: 540 estimated patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18 to 54 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Pregnant individuals with hypertensive disorders
• Speak English
• At least 18 years old
• Medicaid coverage
• Between 20 weeks of pregnancy and 2 weeks postpartum
• Postpartum admission at Prisma Health Richland with hypertensive disorder within 2 weeks postpartum

Exclusion criteria

• Not planning to deliver at Prisma Health Richland
• Less than 20 weeks of pregnancy
• More than 2 weeks postpartum

Trial design

540 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention

Description:

Intervention group will receive blood pressure (BP) cuffs. The BP cuff is connected in a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant fashion to the patient's medical record, allowing for documentation and communication with the nurse and the care team. Alerts are triggered if a patient has not checked her BP for 3 days or when readings fall outside a specific threshold (high or low BP alerts). Based on these alerts, the nurse follows up with these patients and reminds them to take a reading. The nurse will also notify participants with elevated BP values to repeat their BP and will contact the participants by phone to discuss symptoms and antihypertensive medications. Patients will be managed based on a clinical algorithm for initiation of antihypertensive medications without the need for an outpatient visit if considered appropriate by the clinical provider.

Treatment:

Device: Blood pressure cuff

Historical or Concurrent controls

Description:

Individuals who had hypertensive disorders during pregnancy but who did not receive the BP cuffs will serve as the control group.