🏛️ Verified NIH Record • Updated 2026-01-22

Optimizing Preeclampsia Postpartum With Point-of-care Ultrasound (NCT07167862)

Optimizing Preeclampsia Postpartum With Point-of-Care Ultrasound: A Pilot Prospective Cohort Study

🟡 Not Yet Recruiting Phase4 💊 Investigational Drug / Biologic Sponsor: University of California, Irvine

🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)

This study explores a novel approach to improving care for postpartum patients with preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related condition characterized by high blood pressure, protein in the urine, and organ dysfunction. Preeclampsia affects up to 9% of pregnancies and can progress to include complications of seizures, stroke, and even death. Over 60% of patients with preeclampsia continue to experience high blood pressure at the time of discharge from their delivery hospitalization, and many of these patients require blood pressure medications for up to 6 months postpartum. Even with blood pressure medications, many of these patients are readmitted to the hospital within six weeks of delivery. In this study, the investigators will utilize point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), a quick and non-invasive, bedside imaging strategy, to look for signs of excess fluid accumulating in the lungs and venous system of postpartum patients with preeclampsia. Because excess fluid has the potential to worsen blood pressure, subjects with evidence of this on POCUS would be treated with a diuretic medication called furosemide (either orally or intravenously) within 24 hours of delivery. The investigators' main goal is to determine whether using POCUS can help physicians make better treatment decisions and improve short-term outcomes for postpartum patients with preeclampsia. The investigators' aim to achieve faster recovery of blood pressure, reduce the need for blood pressure medication at hospital discharge, and lower the rates of hospital readmission for those with preeclampsia. This study could significantly enhance the overall care and health of postpartum patients.

Who can join: To join this study, participants generally need to meet the listed inclusion criteria (8 items) and avoid the listed exclusions (10 items).

Location: University of California Irvine Medical Center — Orange, California

Age range: 18 Years

🧪 Interventions in This Study

📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener

Instant Checklist

Check every box below. If you can check all of them, you may meet the study's basic screening requirements (final eligibility is confirmed by the site team).

Usually NOT eligible if any of the following apply:

  • Exclusion Criteria: Historical cohort (group 1):
  • Delivery at an outside facility or incomplete postpartum records available for analysis
  • Pre-existing diagnosis of chronic hypertension; selected to mirror prospective cohort exclusion criteria (see below).
  • Documentation of chronic kidney disease (CKD stage 3 or higher); selected because diuresis is more likely to be avoided in this patient population even in the presence of physical exam findings suggesting volume overload.
  • Documentation of postpartum complications unrelated to preeclampsia that may significantly alter hemodynamics (e.g., sepsis, postpartum hemorrhage); selected because diuresis is more likely to be avoided in this patient population even in the presence of physical exam findings suggesting volume overload. Prospective cohorts (groups 2 and 3):
  • Pre-existing diagnosis of chronic hypertension; selected because previous studies on furosemide use in patients with postpartum preeclampsia have found a significant reduction in hypertension among patients with newly diagnosed hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, but not among those with pre-gestational hypertension, meaning that inclusion of this population might reduce the magnitude of study effects.
  • Baseline renal dysfunction with serum creatinine \> 1.1 mg/dL; selected as this laboratory finding has been pre-selected as a safety outcome.
  • Baseline hypokalemia with serum potassium \< 3.5 mEq/L despite previous repletion with intravenous or oral potassium chloride; selected as this laboratory finding has been pre-selected as a safety outcome.
  • Known hypersensitivity to furosemide or sulfa drugs; selected because this would preclude exposure to the study medication of interest.
  • Current use of diuretics for other indications (e.g. heart failure); selected because this may require a furosemide or other diuretic regimen different from that planned for the study intervention.

🔍 Extracted verbatim from the official NIH eligibility criteria. Always confirm with the study coordinator.

📍 All Participating Trial Locations (1 Sites)

  • University of California Irvine Medical Center — Orange, California

📞 Contact the Study Coordinator

Phone: (714) 456-2911

Email: awaks@hs.uci.edu

Coordinator details come directly from the registered NIH protocol. Confirm the study is still recruiting before traveling.

💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights

  • 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
  • Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
  • Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.

More studies in Preeclampsia

Explore by condition: All Preeclampsia clinical trials

💡 How to Participate

  1. Check the checklist above to see if you may qualify.
  2. Contact the study coordinator using the phone/email above.
  3. Ask about the visit schedule, what is covered at no cost, and any travel support.
  4. Confirm with your own doctor before making a decision.
🏛️ View Official NIH Record ↗