Clinical Research Directory

Biomarkers in Management of Post Partum Preeclampsia

Participants are recruited for a research study about how lab values change following delivery in people with Preeclampsia with Severe Features. Preeclampsia with Severe Features means that the disease has impacted organs, causing high blood pressures, symptoms, or changes in lab values. Those with Preeclampsia with Severe Features receive magnesium sulfate after delivery. The study is intended to learn how lab values change following delivery and to investigate how quickly participants get better from preeclampsia. Participation in this research will last while admitted to the hospital. Information will be collected from the post partum visit, but there is no need for blood draw at that time. The purpose of this research is to gather information on the safety and effectiveness of a shorter administration of magnesium which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Participants will be randomized into two groups, which means that it will be decided by chance if 12 hours or 24 hours of magnesium will be given after the delivery of the baby. Blood samples will be collected at time of delivery, 12 hours after delivery, 18 hours after delivery, 24 hours after delivery, and then daily. This is very similar to the number of labs to be collected even if participants decide not to participate in this study. This would likely add 2 or 3 blood draws. Both groups will have the same number of blood draws collected. Other than possibly having 12 hours of magnesium, and a few more blood draws, the rest of the care received will not change. Each blood draw will consist of \~10mL, meaning a total of about 40mL of blood would be drawn for the purpose of this study. Data would be collected, and deidentified. Information collected would include age, other medical conditions (like diabetes or high blood pressure out side of pregnancy), blood pressure, and symptoms during hospital stay and at the post partum visit.

Vascular Effects of High-Salt After Preeclampsia

Women who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy are more likely to develop and die of cardiovascular disease later in life, even if they are otherwise healthy. Importantly, women who had preeclampsia have an exaggerated vascular responsiveness to hypertensive stimuli, such as high-salt intake, compared to women who had a healthy pregnancy. The reason why this occurs is unclear but may be related to impaired endothelial function and dysregulation of the angiotensin system that occurs during the preeclamptic pregnancy and persists postpartum, despite the remission of clinical symptoms. While the association between a history of preeclampsia and vascular dysfunction leading to elevated CVD risk is well known, the mechanisms underlying this dysfunction remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of vascular mineralocorticoid receptor, the terminal receptor in the angiotensin system that contributes to blood pressure regulation, in mediating exaggerated microvascular endothelial dysfunction before and after a high-salt stimulus. This will help us better understand the mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction these women, and how inhibition of these receptors may improve microvascular function. In this study, we use the blood vessels in the skin as a representative vascular bed for examining mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction in humans. Using a minimally invasive technique (intradermal microdialysis for the local delivery of pharmaceutical agents) we examine the blood vessels in a nickel-sized area of the skin.

Optimizing Preeclampsia Postpartum With Point-of-care Ultrasound

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.

Postpartum Low-Dose Aspirin and Preeclampsia

The purpose of this research study is to find out whether women with severe preeclampsia taking low-dose aspirin (LDA) for 3 weeks post-delivery will experience an improvement in endothelial function (measured as flow-mediated dilation - FMD) and severity of disease, as the effects of preeclampsia can persist postpartum. Women diagnosed with severe preeclampsia prior to delivery will be enrolled and randomized to receive either low-dose aspirin (81mg) or placebo to take daily for up to 3 weeks post-delivery. Exploratory objective includes healthy control postpartum patients without preeclampsia and not on LDA during pregnancy or postpartum in comparison with the primary study population affected by preeclampsia with severe features.

MR and Inflammation After Preeclampsia

The purpose of this investigation is to examine the role of inappropriate mineralocorticoid receptor activation in endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation in otherwise healthy women with a history of preeclampsia. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does overactivation of the mineralocorticoid receptor contribute to reduced endothelial function in women who had preeclampsia? 2. To what extent does the mineralocorticoid receptor mediated exaggerated production of inflammatory cytokines in immune cells from women who had preeclampsia? Participants will visit the research laboratory for 2 experimental visits: * Visit 1: Skin blood flow will be measured using a minimally invasive technique (intradermal microdialysis for the local delivery of pharmaceutical agents) to examine blood vessels in a nickel-sized area of the skin. * Visit 2: Endothelial cells will be collected from an antecubital vein.

Aspirin and Preeclampsia

This is a single-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Peripartum and postpartum Activin A are significantly elevated in women with preeclampsia. Our hypothesis is that elevated Activin A levels reflect a remediable signal and that reducing postpartum Activin A levels with aspirin therapy will improve (GLS) in preeclamptic patients.

Guideline-directed Management and Therapy (GDMT) for the Prevention of Postpartum Cardiac Dysfunction in Preeclamptic African American Women

This is a single-center, open-label pilot study looking at how Guideline-directed management and therapy (GDMP) in post-partum women with preeclampsia can improve Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS).

Preeclampsia Educational Program Study (PrEPS)

Preeclampsia complicates approximately 8% of all pregnancies. A critical factor of outpatient monitoring is patient education; specifically, education regarding nature of the disease, ongoing short- and long-term risks, and warning signs and symptoms for worsening of disease. This study aims to compare patient knowledge using a novel illustration based app compared to standard discharge instructions.

Sensitivity of Angiotensin II Type II Receptors in Women Following Preeclampsia

Women who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy are more likely to develop and die of cardiovascular disease later in life, even if they are otherwise healthy. The reason why this occurs is unclear but may be related to impaired endothelial function and dysregulation of the angiotensin system that occurs during the preeclamptic pregnancy and persists postpartum, despite the remission of clinical symptoms. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the mechanisms contributing to this lasting blood vessel damage caused by reduced endothelial function in women who have had preeclampsia compared to women who had a healthy pregnancy. Identification of these mechanisms and treatment strategies may lead to better clinical management of cardiovascular disease risk in these women. The purpose of this study is to examine the microvascular differences in women who have had preeclampsia following activation of protective angiotensin receptors in the skin. This will help increase understanding of the mechanisms of angiotensin II receptors in these women, and how activation of these receptors may restore microvascular function. In this study, the investigators use the blood vessels in the skin as a representative vascular bed for examining mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction in humans. Using a minimally invasive technique (intradermal microdialysis for the local delivery of pharmaceutical agents) the investigators examine the blood vessels in a dime-sized area of the skin.

Aspirin for Postpartum Patients With Preeclampsia

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the effect of low-dose aspirin on recovery from severe preeclampsia (a high blood pressure disorder of pregnancy) among women who have given birth. We hypothesize that taking aspirin for the first week after giving birth will enhance recovery from preeclampsia by decreasing the levels of a protein called soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFlt-1), which is thought to be a main contributor to the development of preeclampsia, and speeding up return to a normal blood pressure.