Do we need to deal with the hypotension caused by lateral position?

[Jiayou]

Hello,

I am not sure if any of you encountered such a problem, but I was bothered by this question for a while. When I turn my patients to lateral position, most of them will develop hypotension. I am wondering if we need to do some intervention for that or just leave it alone.

For example, my patient last night had BP 121/69. When the tracing showed that she had two variable decelerations, I turned her to left lateral position right away. A few minutes later, her BP dropped to 92/45. I was really confused what I supposed to do. One of my experienced coworkers had told me that because the hypotension was caused by the lateral position, we don't need to do anything. However, hypotension will also cause uteroplacenta insufficiency, right? Do I need to turn patient back to normal semi-Fowler's position in order to get BP back to normal or just leave it alone? Any idea will be appreciated.

[SmilingBluEyes]

This is why solid assessment skills are so important. What IS hypotension in any patient? Knowing symptoms versus just relying on numbers and machines is critical. It's the same, as for example, in hemorrhage. You don't rely on vital signs to tell you that a pp hemorrhage is occurring. You know sooner by symptoms.

[maui320]

The clinical picture is key. Look at your patient. Sometimes focusing on the numbers and not the patient and baby makes the situation more overwhelming the deemed necessary.

[LoveANurse09]

The clinical picture is key. Look at your patient. Sometimes focusing on the numbers and not the patient and baby makes the situation more overwhelming the deemed necessary.

This is an easy mistake to make as a new grad. Focus on the patient(s).