Preventing the onset of eclampsia
The main question about magnesium sulphate as a prophylactic anticonvulsant for women with pre-eclampsia is whether overall it does more good than harm. Six trials (11,444 women) have compared magnesium sulphate with placebo or no anticonvulsant37. Most women in these studies had moderate–severe pre-eclampsia. The magnesium sulphate regimen was usually 4 g as a slow intravenous bolus, followed by either an intravenous infusion of 1 g/h, or by intramuscular injections of 10 g and then 5 g every 4 h. The total duration of therapy was usually 24 h, with clinical monitoring alone.