Efficacy and Safety of One Gram Versus Two Grams Intravenous Maintenance Dose of Magnesium Sulfate in Women With Severe Pre-eclampsia: a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Treatment for patients who have developed preeclampsia or eclampsia mainly consists of control of hypertension, magnesium sulphate for prevention of eclampsia and convulsions, and planning for delivery.

Magnesium sulfate has been used to prevent eclamptic convulsion since 1925, its efficacy was confirmed by a large randomized controlled trial in 2002. Eclampsia could be prevented in more than 50% after magnesium sulfate administration . The World Health Organization recommended magnesium sulfate as the most effective, safe, and low-cost drug for the prevention of seizure in severe preeclampsia and eclampsia . The recommended dose of magnesium sulfate is 4 to 6 gram intravenous loading dose, followed by maintenance intravenous drip at the rate of 1 to 2 gram per hour .

Although different magnesium sulfate regimens have been tested, two dosing regimens are internationally recommended and widely used. The Pritchard regimen is a predominantly intramuscular regimen given as a loading dose of 4 g intravenously , and 5 g Intramuscular into each buttock followed by a maintenance dose of 5 g Intramuscular every 4 hours. This regimen is popular in resource-limited settings where intravenously administration of magnesium sulfate may not be feasible. However, it is associated with pain and a higher risk of infection at the injection site.

The Zuspan regimen is given as a 4 gram intravenously loading dose followed by continuous intravenously infusion of 1 gram per hour.

Either 1 gram or 2 gram maintenance dose of Magnesium Sulphate has been reported to reduce the development of eclampsia. Randomized controlled trials offering direct comparison between these 2 doses are lacking.