The frequency of respiratory care among neonates who had perinatal exposure to Sars-COV-2 at Ayatollah Mousavi Hospital in Zanjan 2020-2022 (preprint)

Background A significant heterogeneity of the complications is evident among neonates who had perinatal exposure to Sars-COV-2 in different countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of respiratory care among neonates who had perinatal exposure to Sars-COV-2 at Ayatollah Mousavi Hospital in Zanjan 2020–2022Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 78 infants who had prenatal exposure to Sars-COV-2 at Ayatollah Mousavi Hospital in Zanjan from the beginning of from April 2020 to the end of March 2022. The data was collected using a researcher-made checklist and analyzed using descriptive statistics test and chi -Square test at a 95% confidence level.Results Out of 78 eligible babies the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test of 9 infants (11.5%) was positive after birth. More than 60 percent of infants needed a variety of respiratory care, with the highest percentage related to using an oxygen hood. The need to get respiratory care was not significantly related to infants' test status for COVID-19 but had a significant relationship with birth weight (p = 0.016).Conclusion The results showed a high rate of respiratory care needs in infants born to mothers with known Sars-COV-2 infection. Implementation of training programs to prevent infection and access to intensive care is recommended to improve neonatal outcomes.

The clinical manifestations and outcomes in neonates infected with COVID-19 in the West of Iran

Introduction: So far, no study has been conducted in Iran on the effect of COVID-19 on neonates. Therefore, the present cross-sectional study has been evaluated to determine the clinical manifestations and outcomes in neonates infected with COVID-19 in the west of Iran. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted among neonates infected with COVID-19 in six provinces of Hamadan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Ilam, Zanjan and Lorestan, located in the west of Iran, from 1 March to 1 July 2020. In these neonates, the polymerase chain reaction test was positive. The data were collected by a checklist and were analysed using SPSS Statistics Software. Result: During the study period, 16 neonates infected with COVID-19 were identified including Kurdistan Province with five cases, Hamadan Province four cases, Kermanshah with three cases, and Lorestan and Zanjan provinces with two cases. Neonate gender of them had equal distribution. Two (15.38%) of them needed CPR after delivery. The delivery method for 9 (56.25%) was vaginal, and one of them died during the study period. The medical care used for these neonates was as follows: 87.5% were hospitalized in the intensive care unit and antibiotics were used for 68.75%. 12.5% underwent COVID-19-specific treatment, and for 25%, a ventilator was used. The laboratory findings in neonates infected with COVID-19 showed that in 18.75%, blood urea nitrogen has increased. 46.15% of neonates reported lymphocytopenia. The blood haematocrit and haemoglobin decreased by 31.35% and 56.25%, respectively. Conclusion: The coronavirus disease 2019 has occurred among neonates, but they seemed to have a milder disease course and better prognosis than adults. Findings showed that there is a possibility of vertical intrauterine transmission from pregnant mothers to newborns. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors for Mortality of Inpatients with COVID-19 in Golestan Province, Iran: A Retrospective Cohort Study (preprint)

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging infectious disease that was first reported in Wuhan, China, and has subsequently spread worldwide. We aimed to further clarify the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 2019-nCoV pneumonia and risk factors associated for mortality. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included inpatient with acute respiratory distress syndrome at Golestan University of Medical Sciences Hospitals (Golestan province, Iran) who had been discharged or had died in 2020. Epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory data, including samples for viral RNA detection, were extracted from electronic medical records and compared between recovered and died cases. We used multiple logistic regression methods to explore the risk factors associated with in-hospital death.Results: In overall 2,835 acute respiratory distress syndrome patients were included in this study, of these patients, 874 (30.83.9%) were positive for 2019­nCoV, and 1,046 (36.90%) were negative and 915 (32.28%) were not available for PCR result. Five hundred and sixty-three patients (19.86%) died, 1,687 patients (59.51%) were recovered, and 585 (20.63%) under treatment. Of the total deaths, only 288 (10.15%) were attributed to COVID-19. The most common symptoms at onset of illness were respiratory distress (1,795 [63.32%]), fever (1,601 [56.47%]), dry cough (1,595 [56.26%]), Sore throat (445 [15.70%]), and myalgia (342 [12.06%]).One thousand and twelve (35.7%) had 1 or more coexisting medical conditions. In multiple logistic regression analysis, risk factors associated with the death included older age (OR (Odds Ratio), 1.03; 95% CI; 1.02-1.04), blood oxygen level (SpO2<93%) (OR, 2.44; 95% CI; 1.79-3.31), comorbidities (OR, 2.15; 95% CI; 1.62-2.84), respiratory distress (OR, 1.74; 95% CI; 1.28-2.37), and headache (OR, 0.44 95% CI; 0.21-0.92). Conclusions: The 2019-nCoV infection caused collections of severe respiratory illness and was associated high ratio of hospitalization in ICU and high mortality. Older age and comorbidities were associated with more risk of death among patients with 2019­nCoV.