Table 3.
Postpartum Hypertension Clinic Cohort Characteristics, Management, and Referrals by Visit Type
| Overall cohort (N = 140) | Virtual visit (N = 92) | In-person visit (N = 48) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinic cohort characteristics | ||||
| Time from delivery to clinic visit (days)a | 76.7 ± 63.0 | 74.6 ± 55.7 | 80.6 ± 75.3 | 0.60 |
| Referral source to clinic, n (%) | 0.19 | |||
| Obstetrician or inpatient obstetrics team | 77 (55.0) | 49 (53.2) | 28 (58.3) | |
| Inpatient cardiology team | 25 (17.9) | 13 (14.3) | 12 (25.0) | |
| Self-referred or remote monitoring program | 8 (5.7) | 6 (6.5) | 2 (4.2) | |
| Other or unknown | 30 (21.4) | 24 (26.1) | 6 (12.5) | |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 126 ± 15 | 125 ± 15 | 128 ± 15 | 0.22 |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 82 ± 11 | 81 ± 11 | 83 ± 10 | 0.18 |
| On antihypertensive agents, n (%) | 97 (69.3) | 61 (66.3) | 36 (75.0) | 0.29 |
| On >1 antihypertensive agent, n (%) | 33 (34.0) | 21 (34.4) | 12 (33.3) | 0.91 |
| BMI at time of visit (kg/m2) | 31.2 ± 8.1 | 31.6 ± 7.3 | 30.3 ± 9.6 | 0.42 |
| Addressed contraception, n (%) | 133 (95.0) | 87 (94.6) | 46 (95.8) | 0.74 |
| Traditional cardiovascular risk factors | ||||
| Obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m2), n (%) | 61 (48.0) | 43 (50.0) | 18 (43.9) | 0.52 |
| Tobacco use, n (%) | 0.93 | |||
| Current | 16 (11.6) | 11 (12.1) | 5 (10.6) | |
| Former | 28 (20.3) | 19 (20.9) | 9 (19.2) | |
| Prepregnancy hypertension, n (%) | 46 (32.9) | 25 (27.2) | 21 (43.8) | 0.047 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 6 (4.3) | 4 (4.4) | 2 (4.2) | 1.0 |
| Family history of early CVD, n (%) | 23 (16.6) | 14 (15.4) | 9 (18.8) | 0.61 |
| Cardiovascular risk factor screening | ||||
| Postpartum lipid panel completed, n (%) | 74 (52.9) | 47 (51.1) | 27 (56.3) | 0.56 |
| Time from clinic visit to lipid panel measurement [IQR] (days) | 148 [40, 378] | 154 [51, 426] | 132 [0, 250] | 0.24 |
| Total cholesterol, median [IQR] (mg/dL) | 183 [155, 201] | 184 [150, 201] | 181 [157, 205] | 0.70 |
| HDL, median [IQR] (mg/dL) | 55 [46, 69] | 54 [46, 64] | 55 [42, 73] | 0.87 |
| LDL, median [IQR] (mg/dL) | 99 [82, 123] | 97 [76, 118] | 100 [84, 134] | 0.35 |
| Postpartum HbA1C completed, n (%) | 60 (42.9) | 39 (42.4) | 21 (43.8) | 0.88 |
| HbA1C, median [IQR] (%) | 5.3 [5.1, 5.7] | 5.4 [4.9, 5.8] | 5.2 [5.1, 5.4] | 0.46 |
| Echocardiogram, n (%) | 50 (35.7) | 30 (32.6) | 20 (41.7) | 0.29 |
| Left ventricular EF (%) | 55 ± 11 | 55 ± 12 | 56 ± 8 | 0.60 |
| EF <50%, n (%) | 8 (16) | 6 (20.0) | 2 (10.0) | 0.35 |
| Estimated PA systolic pressure (mmHg) | 34 ± 10 | 32 ± 8 | 37 ± 13 | 0.28 |
| Referrals from postpartum hypertension clinic | ||||
| Nutritionist, n (%) | 37 (26.4) | 25 (27.2) | 12 (25.0) | 0.78 |
| Sleep medicine, n (%) | 9 (6.4) | 7 (7.6) | 2 (4.2) | 0.72 |
| Psychiatry, n (%) | 35 (25.0) | 23 (25.0) | 12 (25.0) | 1.0 |
a
Data are mean ± SD unless otherwise specified.
CVD, cardiovascular disease; EF, ejection fraction; HbA1C, hemoglobin A1C; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; PA, pulmonary artery.