Hypertension in Pregnancy Action Forum

Hypertension in pregnancy (i.e., chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, eclampsia, and chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia or eclampsia) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and serious maternal complications such as myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiomyopathy, seizures, and death.^1-5 Hypertension in pregnancy is also associated with the long-term risk of developing hypertension and cardiovascular disease for both women and their children. ^{1, 6-9}

Million Hearts^® Hypertension in Pregnancy Action Forum (HPAF) is a national collaborative for clinical, public health, and community-based partners to exchange best and promising practices, identify solutions to common obstacles, and share resources related to improving hypertension management for women during and after pregnancy.

Tools and Resources

For Clinicians

• Hypertension in Pregnancy Change Package (HPCP)
  The HPCP is a quality improvement tool to help outpatient clinicians put more efficient and effective systems in place to care for patients with hypertension in pregnancy.
• Postpartum Hypertension Clinic Development Toolkit
  This toolkit from the American College of Cardiology helps clinicians, health care teams, and health systems develop postpartum hypertension care programs for individuals with a recent hypertensive disorder of pregnancy.
• Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy (CHAP) Trial Consortium. Treatment for Mild Chronic Hypertension during Pregnancy
  This randomized trial found a strategy of targeting a blood pressure of less than 140/90 mm Hg was associated with better pregnancy outcomes than a strategy of reserving treatment only for severe hypertension.
• ACOG Practice Advisory: Clinical Guidance for the Integration of the Findings of the Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy (CHAP) Study
  This practice advisory from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends utilizing 140/90 mm Hg as the threshold for initiation or titration of medical therapy for chronic hypertension in pregnancy, rather than the previously recommended threshold of 160/110 mm Hg.
• Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Statement: Antihypertensive therapy for mild chronic hypertension in pregnancy-The Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy trial
  This statement from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recommends treatment with antihypertensive therapy for mild chronic hypertension in pregnancy to a goal BP of <140/90 mm Hg.