BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has had an impact on healthcare systems around the world with 3 million people contracting the disease and 208,000 cases resulting in death as of this writing. Information regarding coronavirus infection in pregnancy is still limited. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the clinical course of severe and critical coronavirus disease 2019 in hospitalized pregnant women with positive laboratory testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cohort study of pregnant women with severe or critical coronavirus disease 2019 hospitalized at 12 US institutions between March 5, 2020, and April 20, 2020. Severe disease was defined according to published criteria as patient-reported dyspnea, respiratory rate >30 per minute, blood oxygen saturation 93% on room air, ratio of partial pressure of arterial oxygen to the fraction of inspired oxygen <300 mm Hg, or lung infiltrates >50% within 24e48 hours on chest imaging. Critical disease was defined as respiratory failure, septic shock, or multiple organ dysfunction or failure. Women were excluded from the study if they had presumed coronavirus disease 2019, but laboratory testing was negative. The primary outcome was median duration from hospital admission to discharge. Secondary outcomes included need for supplemental oxygen, intubation, cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrest, death, and timing of delivery. The clinical courses are described by the median disease day on which these outcomes occurred after the onset of symptoms. Treatment and neonatal outcomes are also reported. RESULTS: Of 64 hospitalized pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019, 44 (69%) had severe disease, and 20 (31%) had critical disease. The following preexisting comorbidities were observed: 25% had a pulmonary condition, 17% had cardiac disease, and the mean body mass index was 34 kg/m 2. Gestational age was at a mean of 29AE6 weeks at symptom onset and a mean of 30AE6 weeks at hospital admission, with a median disease day 7 since first symptoms. Most women (81%) were treated with hydroxychloroquine; 7% of women with severe disease and 65% of women with critical disease received remdesivir. All women with critical disease received either prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation during their admission. The median duration of hospital stay was 6 days (6 days [severe group] and 10.5 days [critical group]; P¼.01). Intubation was usually performed around day 9 on patients who required it, and peak respiratory support for women with severe disease was performed on day 8. In women with critical disease, prone positioning was required in 20% of cases, the rate of acute respiratory distress syndrome was 70%, and reintubation was necessary in 20%. There was 1 case of maternal cardiac arrest, but there were no cases of cardiomyopathy or maternal death. Thirty-two of 64 (50%) women with coronavirus disease 2019 in this cohort delivered during their hospitalization (34% [severe group] and 85% [critical group]). Furthermore, 15 of ...

Strengths of this study included the timely nature of our findings as the COVID-19 pandemic ensues, death tolls reach record highs, and communities adopt methods of social distancing to flatten the disease curve. Our findings are applicable to the obstetrical population who, regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic, cannot safely avoid or delay contact with hospitals compared with other patient populations because pregnancy is finite. The limited number of patients in our study was a potential weakness. In addition, given that we only investigated obstetrical patients, our findings may not be generalizable to other populations within the medical community. In addition, our study is preliminary and ongoing; hence we do not have any data on pregnancy outcomes. Our results were similar to those reported in a Letter to the Editor in the New England Journal of Medicine published on April 13, 2020, reporting that 13.5% of patients during a 2-week time period in 1 institution were asymptomatic and positive for SARS-CoV-2 7 ; this finding was very similar to the asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2epositive rate in our population of 13% (21/161).Our results can be used as a guide to other L&D units in deciding whether all admitted obstetrical patients should be routinely tested for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.

No abstract

Our findings provide evidence that the duration of labor in low-risk nulliparous women may be shortened by a policy of intravenous fluids at a rate of 250 mL/h rather than 125 mL/h. A rate of 250 mL/h seems to be associated with a reduction in the incidence of cesarean delivery compared to 125 mL/h. The number needed to treat to prevent one cesarean delivery is 18 women. Our data support increased hydration among nulliparous women in labor when oral intake is restricted. Further study is needed regarding risks and benefits of increased hydration among women with unrestricted oral intake, those undergoing induction of labor, and those with medical comorbidities.

To evaluate whether outpatient cervical ripening with a balloon catheter results in a shorter amount of time in the labor and delivery unit when compared with use in the inpatient setting.DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from their inception until December 2020. No restrictions for language or geographic location were applied. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION:Using a predefined protocol and search strategy, 1,152 titles were identified and screened. Randomized controlled trials that com-pared outpatient and inpatient cervical ripening with balloon catheters were included. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: Data extraction and risk of bias assessments were performed by two reviewers. Meta-analysis was performed to produce mean difference for continuous data and risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous data, both with a 95% CI. The primary outcome was the amount of time from admission to the labor ward until delivery. Additional secondary maternal and neonatal outcomes were evaluated. Eight trials (740 patients) were included; six studies (571 patients) reported on our primary outcome. Compared with the inpatient group, outpatient balloon cervical ripening was associated with significantly less time in the labor and delivery unit (outpatient 16.369.7 hours vs inpatient 23.8614.0 hours; mean difference 27.24 hours, 95% CI 211.03 to 23.34). There were no differences in total induction time or total hospital admission. The outpatient group was significantly less likely than the inpatient group to undergo cesarean delivery (21% vs 27%), RR 0.76 (95% CI 0.59-0.98). There were no differences in other maternal or neonatal outcomes. There were no deliveries outside of the hospital and no stillbirths.CONCLUSION: Outpatient balloon cervical ripening in low-risk patients is associated with a decreased amount of time from admission to labor and delivery until delivery. Outpatient balloon cervical ripening is a safe alternative for low-risk patients and has the potential for significant benefits to patients, and labor and delivery units.