Maternal pulmonary edema occurring after therapy with ritodrine for premature uterine contractions

Abstract

Intravenous administration of beta-sympathomimetic drugs in combination with betamethasone or dexamethasone is a treatment often used for the suppression of premature uterine contractions and for the stimulations of fetal lung maturity. It has been suggested that the combination of these drugs may be responsible for maternal pulmonary edema and five such cases have been reported in the literature (1,2). We report a patient who developed pulmonary edema during ritodrine therapy. Corticosteroids were not given in this case.