Oxygen saturation in pregnant individuals with COVID-19: time for re-appraisal?

ABSTRACT

Managing pregnant individuals with acute respiratory disease secondary to COVID-19 has been a challenge. Most professional societies including the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recommend keeping O2 saturation at ≥95% in pregnant individuals. Reaching this target has been increasingly difficult in some patients, especially during the latest wave of infections attributed to the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2. In the absence of adequate supporting data, and in the setting of a reassuring fetal status, we propose that maternal O2 saturation should be maintained between 92% and 96% for admitted patients with acute respiratory failure who require supplemental O2. This may prevent unnecessary invasive interventions that might not hold maternal or fetal benefit, specifically at very preterm gestational ages.