Background To determine whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19 disease) exposure in pregnancy, compared to non-exposure, is associated with infection-related obstetric morbidity. Methods We conducted a multicentre prospective study in pregnancy based on a universal antenatal screening program for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Throughout Spain 45 hospitals tested all women at admission on delivery ward using polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) for COVID-19 since late March 2020. The cohort of positive mothers and the concurrent sample of negative mothers was followed up until 6-weeks post-partum. Multivariable logistic regression analysis, adjusting for known confounding variables, determined the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of the association of SARS-CoV-2 infection and obstetric outcomes. Main outcome measures: Preterm delivery (primary), premature rupture of membranes and neonatal intensive care unit admissions. Results Among 1009 screened pregnancies, 246 were SARS-CoV-2 positive. Compared to negative mothers (763 cases), SARS-CoV-2 infection increased the odds of preterm birth (34 vs 51, 13.8% vs 6.7%, aOR 2.12, 95% CI 1.32–3.36, p = 0.002); iatrogenic preterm delivery was more frequent in infected women (4.9% vs 1.3%, p = 0.001), while the occurrence of spontaneous preterm deliveries was statistically similar (6.1% vs 4.7%). An increased risk of premature rupture of membranes at term (39 vs 75, 15.8% vs 9.8%, aOR 1.70, 95% CI 1.11–2.57, p = 0.013) and neonatal intensive care unit admissions (23 vs 18, 9.3% vs 2.4%, aOR 4.62, 95% CI 2.43–8.94, p <  0.001) was also observed in positive mothers. Conclusion This prospective multicentre study demonstrated that pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 have more infection-related obstetric morbidity. This hypothesis merits evaluation of a causal association in further research.

Around two percent of asymptomatic women in labor test positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Spain. Families and care providers face childbirth with uncertainty. We determined if SARS-CoV-2 infection at delivery among asymptomatic mothers had different obstetric outcomes compared to negative patients. This was a multicenter prospective study based on universal antenatal screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection. A total of 42 hospitals tested women admitted for delivery using polymerase chain reaction, from March to May 2020. We included positive mothers and a sample of negative mothers asymptomatic throughout the antenatal period, with 6-week postpartum follow-up. Association between SARS-CoV-2 and obstetric outcomes was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression analyses. In total, 174 asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnancies were compared with 430 asymptomatic negative pregnancies. No differences were observed between both groups in key maternal and neonatal outcomes at delivery and follow-up, with the exception of prelabor rupture of membranes at term (adjusted odds ratio 1.88, 95% confidence interval 1.13–3.11; p = 0.015). Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers have higher odds of prelabor rupture of membranes at term, without an increase in perinatal complications, compared to negative mothers. Pregnant women testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 at admission for delivery should be reassured by their healthcare workers in the absence of symptoms.

No abstract

Análisis de la mortalidad perinatal en nacidos con peso menor de 1000 gramos en el Hospital San Cecilio de Granada (España) durante el período 1991-2010Perinatal mortality analysis in newborns with weight under 1000 grams at San Cecilio´s Hospital (Granada, Spain) during the 1991-2010 period RESUMEN Introducción. La mortalidad perinatal ha disminuido sustancialmente en las últimas décadas. La prematuridad y el bajo peso al nacer son los factores predictivos más fuertemente asociados a esta mortalidad. El objetivo es analizar la evolución de la mortalidad perinatal en los nacidos con peso menor de 1000 g en los últimos 20 años (1991-2010) y sus causas. Población y métodos. Estudio observacional-descriptivo de tipo ecológico longitudinal, sobre 264 nacidos con peso menor de 1000 g de un total de 56 024 nacidos durante el período estudiado. Se calculan las diferentes tasas de mortalidad perinatal específicas por peso. Se aplica el coeficiente de correlación Rho de Spearman para evaluar la relación entre las tasas de mortalidad y los años de estudio, y las pruebas ANOVA y de MannWhitney para comparación de quinquenios y decenios, respectivamente. Resultados. Se han producido 131 muertes perinatales, 82 de ellas muertes fetales y 49 neonatales precoces. El 64,1% sucede antes de la semana de gestación 27. Sólo la tasa de mortalidad fetal presenta una disminución estadísticamente significativa, aunque la mortalidad perinatal presenta una tendencia al descenso, pero sin alcanzar la significación. Las principales causas inmediatas de óbito son la inmadurez extrema, la hipoxia intrauterina y la infección. Las causas fundamentales relacionadas con la muerte de este grupo de nacidos son la infección por rotura prematura de membranas, la hipertensión materna, la amenaza de parto pretérmino incontrolable y la gemelaridad. Conclusiones. La disminución de las tasas de mortalidad en este grupo de nacidos está sufriendo un enlentecimiento. Palabras clave: nacidos con peso extremadamente bajo, mortalidad perinatal.