Analyzing pregnancy course and outcomes in women with varying degrees of severity of novel coronavirus infection COVID-19 in Saint Petersburg: the lessons from pandemic
Abstract: Introduction. Today, two years after the first outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection (NCI) COVID-19, there is still insufficient data to fully assess risks and pattern of the course of this infectious disease in pregnant women.Aim: to conduct a comparative analysis of perinatal pregnancy outcomes as well as clinical and laboratory data in COVID-19 patients at the time of delivery and those suffering from the disease during pregnancy.Materials and Methods. A retrospective comparative study was carried out… Show more
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Forensic assessment of maternal deaths from the COVID-19 during the 2021 pandemic
BACKGROUND: According to the literature, the mortality rate from SARS-CoV-2 infection among pregnant women is up to 25%. The high-risk group for the development of severe forms of COVID-19 includes pregnant women with extragenital pathology. Obstetric tactics are determined by the severity of the condition of the mother and fetus, as well as the duration of pregnancy. The decision on early delivery is made as a result of an interdisciplinary medical consultation. Delivery in the midst of the disease is associated with an increase in maternal mortality. According to the literature, including our own research, it has been established that the basis for favorable perinatal outcomes in patients with severe and moderate forms of COVID-19 is: an adequate assessment of the condition of the pregnant woman and fetus (especially at the outpatient stage, where the pregnant woman goes first), early hospitalization, early initiation of intensive care and timely delivery before the onset of irreversible organ changes in pregnant women. AIM: The aim of this study was to analyze the tactics of pregnancy management, delivery and perinatal outcomes, assessing the quality of medical care at the outpatient and hospital stages provided to pregnant women who died in a specialized obstetric hospital from the extremely severe new coronavirus infection COVID-19 (based on the data of commission forensic examinations). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study of pregnancy outcomes was performed in 11 patients who died from complications of extremely severe COVID-19 in a regional specialized obstetric hospital in Russia based on the data of commission forensic examinations performed in the Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination (Saint Petersburg, Russia) in 2021, at gestation periods of 28–34 weeks (n = 7) and 37–39 weeks (n = 4) in the context of assessing the quality of medical care in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. We confirmed the diagnosis of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 in 10 (90.9%) patients by SARS-CoV-2 RNA identification using polymerase chain reaction in a nasopharyngeal smear on an average of 4.9 ± 3.6 days from the onset of the disease. In one patient, the clinical diagnosis was confirmed postmortem by the detection of SARS-Cov-2 RNA during autopsy (in the trachea, lungs, and spleen). All patients in the hospital underwent a comprehensive anamnestic, clinical and laboratory examination in the amount regulated by the administrative regulations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation that were relevant at the time of providing medical care. Nine (81.8%) patients sought medical help from a local therapist on 3.1 ± 1.6 days from the onset of the disease and received outpatient treatment for 3.4 ± 1.8 days, two patients not seeing a doctor and receiving outpatient care. The average time before admission to the specialized obstetric hospital was 6.0 ± 2.2 days from the onset of the disease. RESULTS: During the forensic assessment of the medical records of deceased patients, significant defects in the quality of medical care were identified in the framework of this study at the stages of information collection, diagnosis, treatment, and succession. An indirect causal relationship was established between the most significant defects in the quality of medical care and adverse pregnancy outcomes, since the cause of death or critical conditions were individually determined severe complications, rather than defects in medical care, which, nevertheless, does not exclude their significance in the totality of causes of severe maternal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained indicate the need for earlier delivery in pregnant women with the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 before the appearance of irreversible changes in patients with progressive respiratory failure, multiple organ failure syndrome, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, and cytokine storm.
Forensic assessment of maternal deaths from the COVID-19 during the 2021 pandemic
BACKGROUND: According to the literature, the mortality rate from SARS-CoV-2 infection among pregnant women is up to 25%. The high-risk group for the development of severe forms of COVID-19 includes pregnant women with extragenital pathology. Obstetric tactics are determined by the severity of the condition of the mother and fetus, as well as the duration of pregnancy. The decision on early delivery is made as a result of an interdisciplinary medical consultation. Delivery in the midst of the disease is associated with an increase in maternal mortality. According to the literature, including our own research, it has been established that the basis for favorable perinatal outcomes in patients with severe and moderate forms of COVID-19 is: an adequate assessment of the condition of the pregnant woman and fetus (especially at the outpatient stage, where the pregnant woman goes first), early hospitalization, early initiation of intensive care and timely delivery before the onset of irreversible organ changes in pregnant women. AIM: The aim of this study was to analyze the tactics of pregnancy management, delivery and perinatal outcomes, assessing the quality of medical care at the outpatient and hospital stages provided to pregnant women who died in a specialized obstetric hospital from the extremely severe new coronavirus infection COVID-19 (based on the data of commission forensic examinations). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study of pregnancy outcomes was performed in 11 patients who died from complications of extremely severe COVID-19 in a regional specialized obstetric hospital in Russia based on the data of commission forensic examinations performed in the Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination (Saint Petersburg, Russia) in 2021, at gestation periods of 28–34 weeks (n = 7) and 37–39 weeks (n = 4) in the context of assessing the quality of medical care in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. We confirmed the diagnosis of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 in 10 (90.9%) patients by SARS-CoV-2 RNA identification using polymerase chain reaction in a nasopharyngeal smear on an average of 4.9 ± 3.6 days from the onset of the disease. In one patient, the clinical diagnosis was confirmed postmortem by the detection of SARS-Cov-2 RNA during autopsy (in the trachea, lungs, and spleen). All patients in the hospital underwent a comprehensive anamnestic, clinical and laboratory examination in the amount regulated by the administrative regulations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation that were relevant at the time of providing medical care. Nine (81.8%) patients sought medical help from a local therapist on 3.1 ± 1.6 days from the onset of the disease and received outpatient treatment for 3.4 ± 1.8 days, two patients not seeing a doctor and receiving outpatient care. The average time before admission to the specialized obstetric hospital was 6.0 ± 2.2 days from the onset of the disease. RESULTS: During the forensic assessment of the medical records of deceased patients, significant defects in the quality of medical care were identified in the framework of this study at the stages of information collection, diagnosis, treatment, and succession. An indirect causal relationship was established between the most significant defects in the quality of medical care and adverse pregnancy outcomes, since the cause of death or critical conditions were individually determined severe complications, rather than defects in medical care, which, nevertheless, does not exclude their significance in the totality of causes of severe maternal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained indicate the need for earlier delivery in pregnant women with the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 before the appearance of irreversible changes in patients with progressive respiratory failure, multiple organ failure syndrome, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, and cytokine storm.
Risks of adverse outcomes and neonatal morbidity in pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 depending on the trimester of infection
Introduction. COVID-19 in pregnant women adversely affects the course of the disease, pregnancy outcomes, and morbidity in newborns. However, studies on the impact of the gestational age at which SARS-CoV-2 infection occurs on the risk of neonatal morbidity are lacking.Aim. To assess the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes and neonatal morbidity in newborns depending on the gestational age at which women were infected with SARS-CoV-2.Materials and methods. The study included 215 women infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy and 50 uninfected pregnant women. Newborns formed corresponding groups. Data for analysis (general clinical, anamnestic, childbirth outcomes, and newborn condition) were obtained from the records of pregnant, laboring, and postpartum women.Results. In 4.7% of women infected in the first trimester, pregnancy was accompanied by spontaneous miscarriage and in 1.9% by ectopic pregnancy development. In 1.9% of women infected in the second trimester, antenatal fetal demise in a full-term pregnancy was detected. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 more often underwent cesarean section (31.7%). The median weight and height of newborns from mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2 were lower than in the control group. The Apgar score at the first minute showed no differences, but at the fifth minute, it was lower than in the control group. Newborns from mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2 were more frequently diagnosed with cerebral ischemia (26.3%), motor disorder syndrome (20.7%), and persistent fetal circulation (27.8%). Only in newborns from mothers with SARS-CoV-2 were hypertensive syndrome (13.1%), posthypoxic cardiomyopathy (13.1%), and intraventricular hemorrhages (10.1%) detected. The Apgar score at the first minute in newborns from mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the third trimester of pregnancy was higher compared to infections in the second trimester. Neonatal morbidity in this cohort of newborns was characterized by a high frequency of cerebral ischemia, motor disorder syndrome, hypertensive syndrome, and persistent fetal circulation. Infection in the third trimester increased the risk of neonatal morbidity: cerebral ischemia by 5.6 times, motor disorder syndrome by 13.78 times, hypertensive syndrome by 8.61 times, and persistent fetal circulation by 2.76 times.Conclusion. COVID-19 during pregnancy increases the risks of adverse outcomes and the development of neonatal pathology in newborns. The frequency of their development is associated with the gestational age at which women were infected. Infection of women with SARS-CoV-2 in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy increases the risk of spontaneous miscarriage and antenatal fetal death, in the third trimester – the development of intraventricular hemorrhages and posthypoxic cardiomyopathy in newborns.
Perinatal outcomes and morphological examination of placentas in pregnant women with critical lung lesions in new COVID-19 coronavirus infection
Introduction The likelihood of adverse perinatal outcome in new coronavirus infection (NKI) COVID-19 increases with the volume of lung tissue damage and correlates with the severity of respiratory failure (DN). Nevertheless, perinatal outcomes and placenta structural changes in pregnant women with critical lung lesions during NKI COVID-19 have been insufficiently studied.The objective of this investigation was to determine perinatal outcomes and the nature of placental lesions in pregnant women with critical lung injury during novel COVID-19 coronavirus infection.Material and methods A prospective cohort comparative study was conducted, with subsequent retrospective analysis of perinatal outcomes and the results of histologic examination of the placentas in 53 pregnant women with COVID-19 NCI. Group 1 was composed of 25 women with NKI COVID-19 complicated by community-acquired pneumonia with critical lung injury (KT-4, 76% or more); Group 2 was composed of 28 pregnant women with NKI COVID-19 complicated by community-acquired pneumonia with moderate-to-severe lung injury (KT-2, 25-50%). Perinatal outcomes and the results of morphological examination of the placenta were analyzed using the provisions of the classification of placental injuries developed by the Amsterdam Placenta Workshop Group (2014).Results In the main group, there were no children born with signs of miscarriage, while in the comparison group there were 8.7% of such children. SARS-CoV-2 antigen was diagnosed in a nasopharyngeal swab immediately after birth in 1 (4.3%) live-born infant in group 2 by PCR. The child died in the postnatal period on the 33rd day of life. Antenatal fetal death in women of Group 1 was the result of marked maternal hypoxia and extremely early PP, in Group 2 - the consequence of placental lesions. A wide spectrum of placental damages, including maternal and fetal malperfusion, maternal and fetal COVID-19 complicated by critical lung injury and with moderate lung injury.Discussion The placentas of pregnant women delivered due to critical condition do not have pronounced inflammatory and distrophic disorders, being characterized by the phenomena of acute PU. On the contrary, the placentas of women who successfully completed treatment with COVID-19 NKI of moderate severity and safely delivered at late gestational age exhibit the full spectrum of inflammatory and hypoxic lesions, leading to subcompensated and decompensated PU.Conclusion Weakly pronounced dystrophic processes, lymphocytic infiltration of the decidual and fetal membranes, signs of partial maternal vascular malperfusion and fetal stromal-vascular lesions, and acute PU phenomena were recorded in the placentas of women with NCI COVID-19 and critical pulmonary lesions. The absence of marked inflammatory infiltration of villi and fetal membranes, dystrophic processes, intervillous thrombosis, and villous infarcts realized in decompensated PU in the placentas of these patients was due to the immediate delivery of pregnant women with critical pulmonary lesions in NCI COVID-19.
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