A prospective cohort study to evaluate the outcome of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: Worldwide COVID-19 infection has played havoc. The number of COVID-positive pregnant cases in this study was not far behind the National average. The present study was conducted to evaluate the outcome of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women during their antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal periods.Methodology: The study design was a prospective cohort study. The total number of COVID-19 pregnant patients admitted to this tertiary care hospital from March 2020 to June 2021 was 106 cases at various trimesters. This hospital caters to serving personnel, ex-servicemen, and dependents of the Indian Armed Forces. The community being studied were only the dependents and the serving female personnel. Proper history, presenting complaints, period of gestation, obstetric and systemic examination findings, the severity of symptoms, home isolation or hospital stay, and treatment were all recorded in the form of the questionnaire. Finally, the antenatal, intrapartum, postnatal, and neonatal outcomes of these COVID-positive pregnant patients were compiled and studied.Results: The prevalence of COVID-positive pregnant women in the community being studied was 9.9%. About 43.39% of the cases were diagnosed in the third trimester. Ninety-three percent of the patients in the present study were asymptomatic or with very mild symptoms. The mode of delivery in the present study was mostly by cesarean section (69.56%).Conclusion: In the present study, pregnancy-associated complications were within the range of 2.8%–3% and only two newborns were COVID positive.