Clinical characterisation and management outcome of obstetric patients following intensive care unit admission for COVID-19 pneumonia.

This study aims to examine the clinical characteristics and mortality-related factors of obstetric patients, who were taken to the intensive care unit due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study included 31 patients in the peripartum period with COVID-19 pneumonia, followed up in the intensive care unit (ICU) from March 2020 to December 2020. Symptoms, laboratory values, intensive care unit duration of stay, complications, the requirement of non-invasive and invasive mechanical ventilation, and mortality were recorded. The mean age was 30.7 ± 6.2 years and the mean gestational age was 31.1 ± 6.4 weeks. Among the patients, 25.8% had a fever, 87.1% had a cough, 96.8% had dyspnoea and 77.4% had tachypnoea. Seventeen patients (54.8%) had mild, 6 (19.4%) had moderate and 8 (25.8%) had severe pulmonary involvement on computed tomography. Sixteen (51.6%) patients required high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, 6 (19.3%) patients required continuous positive airway pressure, and 5 (16.1%) patients required invasive mechanical ventilation. Sepsis complicated by septic shock and multiorgan failure occurred in 4 patients and all of them died. The ICU duration of stay was 4.9 ± 4.3 days. We have found that older maternal age, obesity, high LDH, AST, ALT, ferritin, leukocyte, CRP, and procalcitonin values, and severe lung involvement were mortality-related factors.Impact statement Pregnant women are in the high-risk group for Covid-19 disease and its complications. Although most pregnant women are asymptomatic, severe infection-related hypoxia can cause serious foetal and maternal problems. When we examined the literature, we found that the number of studies on pregnant women with severe Covid-19 infection was limited. For this reason, with our study results, we aim to contribute to the literature by determining the biochemical parameters and patient-related factors associated with severe infection and mortality in pregnant patients with severe Covid-19 infection. With our study results, predisposing factors for the development of severe Covid-19 infection in the pregnant patient population and biochemical parameters that are early indicators of severe infection were determined. In this way, pregnant women in the high-risk group can be followed closely and the necessary treatments can be started quickly so disease-related complications and mortality can be reduced.