RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Critical COVID-19 in a 24-week pregnant woman with 32 days of invasive mechanical ventilation before delivery of fetus: a case of successful collaborative multidisciplinary care
JF BMJ Case Reports
JO BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e243516
DO 10.1136/bcr-2021-243516
VO 14
IS 9
A1 Kaladerhan Osemwengie Agbontaen
A1 Khevan Somasundram
A1 Matthew Baker
YR 2021
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/14/9/e243516.abstract
AB We describe the successful treatment of a 24-week pregnant, 44-year-old woman with COVID-19. Management of this complex case required multidisciplinary collaboration and included prolonged invasive mechanical ventilation and prone positioning. Caesarean section delivery was delayed for 32 days, with no monitored fetal compromise, while stabilising the mother. To our knowledge, this is the longest reported duration of invasive ventilation while pregnant in a patient with COVID-19. COVID-19 has been shown to cause increased disease severity in pregnant women, and certain pregnancy-related physiological adaptations that occur could help explain this association. While COVID-19 has been shown to cause no increased adverse neonatal outcomes, clinicians should be aware that data show increased preterm birth in symptomatic pregnant women, thereby increasing the chance of prematurity-related complications. Further research on COVID-19 in pregnancy is crucial to facilitate better management, and full inclusion of pregnant women in therapeutic clinical trials will help achieve this.