COVID 19 and high pregnancy and perinatal complications in Panama

Abstract

Objectives

To report the maternal and neonatal results of patients infected with COVID-19 in Panama.

Methods

The study is based on the analysis of pregnant women with COVID-19, in five hospitals in the Republic of Panama. The inclusion criteria were: patients with or without symptoms, positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 in the period from March 23 to 6 months after, whose births were attended in one of those five hospitals and who signed the consent. Data were obtained at the time of diagnosis of the infection and at the time of termination of pregnancy for the mother and newborn.

Results

Two hundred and fifty-three patients met the inclusion criteria. Most were diagnosed in the third trimester (89.3%). 10.3% of the patients presented in a severe form of COVID-19. The most frequent complication was pre-eclampsia and if we add gestational hypertension they represent 21.2%; most of the patients terminated the pregnancy by cesarean section (58%). 26.9% (95% CI 21.3–32.9%) of the births were premature, and perinatal mortality was 5.4% (95% CI 3.0–9.0%). There was a need for mechanical ventilation in 5.9% (95% CI 3.6–9.6%) of the cohort and there were four maternal deaths (1.6% – 95% CI 0.6–4.0%).

Conclusions

This study of pregnant women infected with COVID-19 and diagnosed with RT-PCR shows serious maternal complications such as high admission to the ICU, need for mechanical ventilation and one death in every 64 infected. Frequent obstetric complications such as hypertension, premature rupture of membranes, high rate of prematurity, and perinatal lethality were also seen.

Keywords:

• SARS-CoV-2 infection
• pregnancy
• premature rupture of membranes
• maternal infection
• neonatal complications
• maternal lethality

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Authors contributions

All authors contributed equally for study conception and study design. JS, JE, LCC, AQ, and PVD were responsible for data collection. JS, JE, CL, JNC, RdG, PVD, and SCB were responsible for data analysis and interpretation. JS, JE, and PVD wrote the first draft of the paper. All authors reviewed and provided comments on the first draft and approved the final manuscript. The corresponding author attests that all listed authors meet the authorship criteria and that no others meeting the criteria have been omitted.