COVID-19 in pregnancy—characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women admitted to hospital because of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Nordic countries

cited By 0Introduction Population-based studies about the consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) in pregnancy are few and have limited generalizability to the Nordic population and healthcare systems. Material and methods This study examines pregnant women with COVID-19 in the five Nordic countries. Pregnant women were included if they were admitted to hospital between 1 March and 30 June 2020 and had a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test Results In the study areas, 214 pregnant women with a positive test were admitted to hospital, of which 56 women required hospital care due to COVID-19. The risk of admission due to COVID-19 was 0.4/1000 deliveries in Denmark, Finland and Norway, and 3.8/1000 deliveries in the Swedish regions. Women hospitalized because of COVID-19 were more frequently obese (p < 0.001) and had a migrant background (p < 0.001) compared with the total population of women who delivered in 2018. Twelve women (21.4%) needed intensive care. Among the 56 women admitted due to COVID-19, 48 women delivered 51 infants. Preterm delivery (n = 12, 25%, p < 0.001) and cesarean delivery (n = 21, 43.8%, p < 0.001) were more frequent in women with COVID-19 compared with women who delivered in 2018. No maternal deaths, stillbirths or neonatal deaths were reported. Conclusions The risk of admission due to COVID-19 disease in pregnancy was low in the Nordic countries. A fifth of the women required intensive care and we observed higher rates of preterm and cesarean deliveries. National public health policies appear to have had an impact on the risk of admission due to severe COVID-19 disease in pregnancy. Nordic collaboration is important in collecting robust data and assessing rare outcomes.Peer reviewe

Lessons learnt from anonymized review of cases of peripartum hysterectomy by international experts: A qualitative pilot study

Severe obstetric complications are not extensively studied and individual cases are used too little and inappropriately in quality improvement activities, due to limited numbers and prioritization of quantitative research. Nordic and European experts performed a qualitative pilot study using anonymized cases of peripartum hysterectomy. It was feasible to anonymize narratives and we learned lessons in the form of themes for improved clinical care and future research. Therefore, we plan a Nordic anonymized review of the care of women who have undergone peripartum hysterectomy based on narratives. The qualitative outcomes of clinically relevant themes for quality improvement and research will add value to the quantitative analyses from the Nordic medical birth registries. In the longer term, we believe that qualitative audits should be essential part of the process of continuing improvement in maternity care. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Lessons learnt from anonymized review of cases of peripartum hysterectomy by international experts: A qualitative pilot study

Severe obstetric complications are not extensively studied and individual cases are used too little and inappropriately in quality improvement activities, due to limited numbers and prioritization of quantitative research. Nordic and European experts performed a qualitative pilot study using anonymized cases of peripartum hysterectomy. It was feasible to anonymize narratives and we learned lessons in the form of themes for improved clinical care and future research. Therefore, we plan a Nordic anonymized review of the care of women who have undergone peripartum hysterectomy based on narratives. The qualitative outcomes of clinically relevant themes for quality improvement and research will add value to the quantitative analyses from the Nordic medical birth registries. In the longer term, we believe that qualitative audits should be essential part of the process of continuing improvement in maternity care. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved