Neonatal effects of maternal administration of acebutolol

Systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and blood glucose concentration were measured in the first three days of life in 10 infants born to mothers who had received acebutolol, a cardioselective beta-adrenergic-blocking agent, for hypertension in pregnancy and compared with values in 10 infants whose mothers had received methyldopa. The blood pressure was expressed as a percentage of the expected value. Blood pressure was significantly lower in the infants of the mothers given acebutolol (p less than 0.02, less than 0.01, and less than 0.01 respectively during the three days of observation). Heart rate was also lower, but the significance was only at the 0.05 level. Blood glucose was not significantly different between the two groups. These results suggest that care should be taken in prescribing beta-adrenergic-blocking drugs during pregnancy.