Caesarean childbirth and associated factors during Covid-19 pandemic at public hospitals in the Sidama region, Southern Ethiopia.

Background: The increasing number of caesarean births worldwide concerns pregnant women, obstetric service providers, and the country's economy. Unnecessary caesarean childbirth increases childbirth complications and the cost of health care in low-income countries, including Ethiopia. Objective: This study aims to assess caesarean birth and associated factors at the Sidama region public hospitals, Southern Ethiopia, 2020. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 484 women who gave birth at public hospitals in the Sidama region. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed. The data were collected from 1st to 30th of July 2020 by face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire (see Table S1: see supplementary materials associated with this article on line), and the wealth index was analysed by principal component analysis. Backward logistic regression used an adjusted odds ratio and a 95% confidence interval to assess the strength and association between the caesarean section and its associated factors. A P-value of < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Result: Caesarean childbirth in this study was 34.3%. In this study, partograph monitoring (AOR = 2.23, CI = 1.13, 4.38), previous caesarean birth (AOR = 3.21, CI = 1.28,8.17), having genital cutting/mutilation (AOR = 2.51, CI = 1.14,5.53), intermittent cardiotocography monitoring during childbirth (AOR = 2.3, CI = 1.14, 4.49), absence of companionship during delivery (AOR = 4.97, CI = 2.37, 10.43) and is not remembering the last normal menstrual period (AOR = 3.12, CI = 1.40,6.94) had increased the odds of caesarean birth. Conclusion: Studies show that the prevalence of caesarean has alarmingly increased in both developed and developing countries. However, the magnitude of caesarean section differs from country to country and in rural and urban areas; the magnitude of caesarean section in this study is much higher than the WHO recommends threshold. The local health bureau and obstetric care providers should pay attention to the caesarean section and need intervention in partograph plotting, companionship, cardiotocography, and female genital mutilation.

Can Fetal Heart Lie? Intrapartum CTG Changes in COVID-19 Mothers.

Background: COVID-19 infection has raised multiple concerns in pregnant mothers; many questioned the risk of vertical transmission and the implication on the feto-maternal outcome. Cardiotocogrm (CTG) is the principal method to observe intrapartum fetal well-being. This paper aims to verify intrapartum CTG changes seen in seropositive COVID-19 mothers versus healthy controls and looks into their relation to subsequent delivery mode and neonatal outcome. Methods: A case-control study recruited 90 pregnant women at the labor word of AL Yarmouk Teaching Hospital. All were term pregnancy admitted for delivery. They were grouped into 2: seropositive COVID-19 confirmed by real-time RT-PCR test (30/90) and healthy controls (60/90). We recorded their demographic criteria, laboratory results, CTG changes, delivery mode, and indication. Results: COVID-19 cases showed significantly higher pulse rate, temperature, and leukocyte counts. Cesarian deliveries (CS) were higher in cases versus healthy controls (70 % vs. 53.3 %) and P = 0.45. Analysis of the CS indications showed that abnormal fetal heart tracing accounts for 33.3 % versus 15.6 % (P-value = 0.015) for cases versus healthy controls. 60 % of COVID-19 cases exhibited abnormal CTG changes versus 19.4 % in healthy controls. These changes were primarily fetal tachycardia and reduced variabilities. Conclusions: The higher incidence of abnormal CTG in COVID-19 cases, alongside infection signs and symptoms, underlies the exaggerated inflammatory reactions inside the pregnant mother. These inflammatory reactions are the main causes of CTG changes and higher CS rates. Therefore, obstetricians are advised to optimize the maternal condition to rectify reactive CTG changes rather than proceeding into urgent CS. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13224-022-01663-6.

Cardiotocographic features in COVID-19 infected pregnant women.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the cardiotocograph (CTG) traces of 224 women infected with novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) and analyze whether changes in the CTG traces are related to the severity of COVID-19. METHODS: We designed a prospective cohort study. Two-hundred and twenty-four women who had a single pregnancy of 32 weeks or more, and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were included. Clinical diagnosis and classifications were made according to the Chinese management guideline for COVID-19 (version 6.0). Patients were classified into categories as mild, moderate, severe and the CTG traces were observed comparing the hospital admission with the third day of positivity. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant relationship between COVID-19 severity and CTG category, variability, tachycardia, bradycardia, acceleration, deceleration, and uterine contractility, Apgar 1st and 5th min. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal COVID-19 infection can cause changes that can be observed in CTG. Regardless of the severity of the disease, COVID-19 infection is associated with changes in CTG. The increase in the baseline is the most obvious change.

Fetal heart rate changes on the cardiotocograph trace secondary to maternal COVID-19 infection.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the cardiotocograph (CTG) changes in women with symptomatic COVID-19 infection. STUDY DESIGN: 12 anonymised CTG traces from 2 hospitals in Spain were retrospectively analysed by 2 independent assessors. CTG parameters were studied based on fetal pathophysiological responses to inflammation and hypoxia that would be expected based on the pathogenesis of COVID-19 patients. Correlation was made with perinatal outcomes (Apgar score at 5 min and umbilical cord pH). RESULTS: All fetuses showed an increased baseline FHR > 10 percent compared to the initial recording, in addition to absence of accelerations. 10 out of 12 CTG traces (83.3 percent) demonstrated late or prolonged decelerations and 7 out of 12 fetuses (58.3 percent) showed absence of cycling. Not a single case of sinusoidal pattern was observed. ZigZag pattern was found in 4 CTG traces (33 percent). Excessive uterine activity was observed in all CTG traces where uterine activity was monitored (10 out of 12). Apgar scores at 5 min were normal (>7) and absence of metabolic acidosis was found in the umbilical cord arterial pH (pH > 7.0) in the cases that were available (11 and 9, respectively). CONCLUSION: Fetuses of COVID-19 patients showed a raised baseline FHR (>10 percent), loss of accelerations, late decelerations, ZigZag pattern and absence of cycling probably due to the effects of maternal pyrexia, maternal inflammatory response and the "cytokine storm". However, the perinatal outcomes appear to be favourable. Therefore, healthcare providers should optimise the maternal environment first to rectify the reactive CTG changes instead of performing an urgent operative intervention.