SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy: characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized and non-hospitalized women due to COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: There is little evidence about how novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) affects pregnant women and their newborns. Comparisons with other members of the coronavirus family responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) have been done to predict maternal and neonatal outcomes; however, more information is required to establish clinical patterns, disease evolution and pregnancy prognosis in this group of patients. METHODS: This paper is reporting a series of 91 women diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and puerperium. The analysis showed that 40 patients developed pneumonia, bilateral in most cases, with a 46.2% rate of hospitalization and 4 patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. In confront with previous publications, we have found a higher rate of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) severe forms, even when compared to non-pregnant women with the same baseline characteristics. We have analyzed the demographic characteristics, pregnancy-related conditions and presenting symptoms to identify features that could determine which patients will need hospitalization because of COVID-19 (Group 1-G1) and those who not (Group 2-G2). We have found that obesity and Latin-American origin behave as risk factors: OR: 4.3; 95% CI: 1.4-13.2, and OR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.1 - 6.2, respectively. Among the 23 patients that delivered with active SARS-CoV-2, the overall rate of cesarean section (CS) and preterm birth were 52.2% and 34.8%, respectively, but we observed that the rate of CS was even higher in G1 compared to G2: 81.8% versus 25%, p = .012. However, prematurity was equally distributed in both groups and only one preterm delivery was determined by poor maternal condition. There were no deaths among the patients neither their newborns. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the results of our cohort reveal that SARSC-CoV-2 infection may not behave as mild as suggested during pregnancy, especially when factors as obesity or Latin-American origin are present. No evidence of late vertical transmission was noticed but prematurity and high CS rate were common findings, although it is difficult to establish any causality between these conditions and COVID-19. Further evidence is required to establish if pregnancy itself can lead to severe forms of COVID-19 disease and whether risk factors for the general population are applicable to obstetric patients. Until larger studies are available, pregnant women should be monitored carefully to anticipate severe complications.

Diagnostic capacity and interobserver variability in FIGO, ACOG, NICE and Chandraharan cardiotocographic guidelines to predict neonatal acidemia.

OBJECTIVE: Despite its routine use in intrapartum care, the technique of fetal cardiotocography has some limitations. The aim of this study is to analyze the predictive capacity and interobserver agreement in the latest versions of four international cardiotocography guidelines: Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Chandraharan, used to predict neonatal acidemia. STUDY DESIGN: The last 30 min of 150 cardiotocographic records were analyzed over all the pH ranges and were blindly evaluated by three independent reviewers. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were calculated to assess the predictive capacity of each fetal cardiotocographic guideline. The degree of interobserver agreement was evaluated with the Fleiss Kappa coefficient. RESULTS: Observers found fetal cardiotocography guidelines to have a variable sensitivity and specificity. The Chandraharan classification reached the highest sensitivity (78.79%), while ACOG had the highest specificity (95.73%). On average for the three observers, Chandraharan had the highest discrimination capacity for neonatal acidemia, although this was only moderate (AUC 0.66; 95%CI, 0.55-0.77) and did not differ significantly from the remaining guidelines. The degree of agreement among the three observers, assessed according to the Fleiss Kappa coefficient, was generally acceptable or moderate for all items and classifications, being highest with the FIGO classification (ĸ = 0.35; 95%CI, 0.28-0.41) and lowest with the ACOG (ĸ = 0.23; 95%CI, 0.16-0.30). CONCLUSION: Although all the guidelines have a moderate capacity to predict neonatal acidemia, the Chandraharan guideline has the highest capacity. This follows a different approach from the others in that it relies on interpretations of cardiotocographic traces based on fetal physiology. The degree of interobserver agreement is, in general, acceptable for the four guidelines, and is the highest for FIGO.

Seroprevalence analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant women along the first pandemic outbreak and perinatal outcome.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the progression of the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the pregnant population of the south of Madrid during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondarily we aimed to evaluate maternal and perinatal outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study conducted at Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre during weeks 10 to 19 of 2020, coinciding with the Spanish lockdown. We tested 769 serum samples obtained from routine serological testing during the first and third trimesters of pregnancy for specific IgG anti SARS-CoV-2 RBD and S proteins. RT-PCR tests were performed in suspected cases according to clinical practice. We compared maternal and perinatal outcomes in those with delivered pregnancies (n = 578) according to the presence or absence of specific IgG antibodies. Those with positive IgG were subdivided by the presence or absence of Covid-19 related symptoms at any time and the results of RT-PCR testing if performed. Therefore, we had 4 study groups: G1 (IgG negative), G2 (IgG positive, asymptomatic, RT-PCR testing negative or not done), G3 (IgG positive, symptomatic, RT-PCR testing negative or not done), and G4 (IgG positive, symptomatic, RT-PCR positive). RESULTS: Seropositivity increased from 0% to 21.4% (95% CI 11.8-31.0) during the study period, of which 27.9% had an asymptomatic course. Overall outcomes were favorable with a significant increased rate of preterm birth in G4 vs G1 (21.4% vs 6.7%) and cesarean/operative delivery (50% vs 26.9%). Asymptomatic and mild cases did not have differences regarding pregnancy course when compared to seronegative women. There were no documented cases of vertical or horizontal transmission. CONCLUSION: Seroprevalence in pregnant women in southern Madrid went up to 21.4% of which 27.9% had an asymptomatic course. Overall perinatal results were favorable, especially in those asymptomatic.