Microcirculatory and Tissue and Cerebral Oxygenation Differences Between Preeclampsia and Normal Pregnancy: An Observation Study

Preeclampsia is a disease of pregnancy affecting 3% to 8% of all pregnancies and is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Characterized by alter placentation with subsequent release of inflammatory mediators leading to a generalized endothelial dysfunction. It is now accepted that endothelial dysfunction heralds the clinical manifestations of preeclampsia.

The side-stream darkfield (SDF) microscopy device emits a 550 nm green light with a depth region of interest of 500 um. Green light is absorbed by the erythrocytes and appears black. SDF is a well-known non-invasive tool that can study the microcirculatory changes. It was used before in many situations especially in sepsis and septic shock patients.

Near-infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS) device, measures the absorbance of near-infra-red (NIR) light by tissues perfused with oxygenated blood, and is capable of measuring changes in parenchymal volume tissues. It was used before in many situations (including pregnant patients) to reflect the tissue oxygenations.

The investigators are planning to use the SDF and NIRS tools to study the microcirculatory change in preeclamptic subjects and normal pregnant subjects. If these two devices are able to determine any changes this should stand as a baseline for future studies in this field.