ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Medical complications among pregnant peripartum patients are not common. However, certain disease such as obstetric hemorrhage or respiratory failure could be associated with poor outcome among obstetric patients whose biological systems are already stretched. When a peripartum patients encounter a severe medical condition, they are frequently transferred to a tertiary center for management of these patients' complex conditions. Our study investigated the outcomes of the peripartum patients who were transferred from other hospitals (Interhospital transfer [IHT]) to the Intensive Care Unit at an academic quaternary center. METHOD(S): We retrospectively analyzed all adult IHT peripartum patients to our institution's ICU between Jan. 2017 to Dec. 2021. We presented descriptive analysis for our patients and used multivariable ordinal regressions for association between demographic, clinical factors, and patients' length of stay (LOS) in the ICU (ICULOS), hospital (HLOS). RESULT(S): Among 1794 IHT peripartum patients, 59 patients were transferred directly to an ICU, 8 (13.6%) to Medical ICU, 2 (3.4%) Neuro ICU, 2 (3.4%) Surgical ICU and 47 (79.7%) to our Critical Care Resuscitation Unit. Patients' mean (Standard Deviation) age was 32 (6) years, SOFA score 3 (3), APACHE II 8 (4), median Respiratory Oxygenation (ROx) index was 13 [Interquartile Range 4-22], and serum lactate 11 [9-15] mmol/L. Respiratory failure occurred in 19 (32%), postpartum hemorrhage 9 (15%), sepsis 8 (14%) patients. 16 (27%) patients were infected with COVID-19. 24 (41%) needed intubation, 13 (22%) vasopressor, 4 (7%) Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. Median ICULOS and HLOS was 5 [2-12], 8 [5-17] days. Only 1 (1.7%) died, while 45 (76.3%) were discharged home directly. Having COVID-19 infection was associated with both ICULOS (Correlation Coefficient -2,23, OR 0.06, 95%CI 0.02-0.65, P = 0.016) and HLOS (Corr. Coeff. -2.75, OR 0.06, 95%CI 0.01-0.37, P = 0.002). CONCLUSION(S): Although severe medical conditions were uncommon among interhospital transferred peripartum patients, they could be severe, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the mortality rate for peripartum patients in our study was very low. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our observation.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Awake prone positioning (PP), or proning, is used to avoid intubations in hypoxic patients with COVID-19, but because of the disease's novelty and constant evolution of treatment strategies, the efficacy of awake PP is unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis of the literature to assess the intubation rate among patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or noninvasive ventilatory support who underwent awake PP. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases through August 15, 2020 to identify relevant randomized control trials, observational studies, and case series. We performed random-effects meta-analyses for the primary outcome of intubation rate. We used moderator analysis and meta-regressions to assess sources of heterogeneity. We used the standard and modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scales (NOS) to assess studies' quality. RESULTS: Our search identified 1043 articles. We included 16 studies from the original search and 2 in-press as of October 2020 in our analysis. All were observational studies. Our analysis included 364 patients;mean age was 56.8 (SD 7.12) years, and 68% were men. The intubation rate was 28% (95% CI 20%-38%, I<sup>2</sup> = 63%). The mortality rate among patients who underwent awake PP was 14% (95% CI 7.4%-24.4%). Potential sources of heterogeneity were study design and setting (practice and geographic). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated an intubation rate of 28% among hypoxic patients with COVID-19 who underwent awake PP. Awake PP in COVID-19 is feasible and practical, and more rigorous research is needed to confirm this promising intervention.