Preeclampsia: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis & Nursing Management

Preeclampsia: Hypertension arising at ≥20 weeks gestation PLUS either: proteinuria (≥300 mg/24h or spot P:Cr ≥0.3) OR severe features (in absence of proteinuria). Leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Affects 3–5% of pregnancies. Pathophysiology: Failure of spiral artery remodeling → high-resistance uteroplacental blood flow → placental ischemia → release of anti-angiogenic factors (sFlt-1 — soluble FMS-like tyrosine kinase 1, inhibits VEGF/PlGF) → widespread maternal endothelial dysfunction → hypertension, proteinuria, edema, organ dysfunction. On the exam, writers often pair stable-sounding options with unstable data—notice the mismatch before you commit. If the stem names a license or role, reread that line; scope errors are classic trap answers even when the clinical topic is familiar. Run a 60-second scan: breathing work and oxygenation, perfusion and end organs, neuro baseline, likely infection sources, and devices that can fail quietly. When two answers feel partly right, pick the one that reduces imminent harm and matches orders for the role you were given. Train yourself to state the primary risk in one short phrase before you read the options so distractors do...