Phenytoin as an alternative treatment for preeclampsia.

Magnesium sulfate is the preferred treatment for preeclampsia in the United States. Its use has been criticized because of the maternal, fetal, and neonatal side effects and its tocolytic action during labor. Phenytoin has been identified as an alternative for the treatment of preeclampsia and the prevention of eclampsia. The effects of magnesium sulfate with those of phenytoin on the mother, the fetus, and the neonate are compared. A nursing protocol summarizes nursing care for the obstetric patient receiving phenytoin. Phenytoin has certain demonstrable clinical advantages when used in the intrapartum period with patients with preeclampsia.