Case Reports in Women's Health (Apr 2021)

COVID-19 with severe acute respiratory distress in a pregnant woman leading to preterm caesarean section: A case report

  • S. Paramanathan,
  • K.J. Kyng,
  • A.L. Laursen,
  • L.D. Jensen,
  • A.M. Grejs,
  • D. Jain

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crwh.2021.e00304
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 30
p. e00304

Abstract

Read online

We report the case of a 25-year-old pregnant woman, parity one, at 34 + 2 weeks of gestation, with a body mass index of 41 kg/m2 but no other comorbidities. There was a family history of COVID-19 among her one-year-old son, husband, brother, father and mother. She was admitted with chest pain and a nasopharyngeal swap positive for COVID-19. Due to the severity of the infection, a multidisciplinary team of anaesthesiologists, intensivists, obstetricians, neonatologists, and infectious disease specialists recommended delivery by caesarean section at 35 + 0 weeks of gestation, with combined spinal and epidural anaesthesia. Three days after delivery, the patient developed severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and was intubated for 25 days. The neonate was observed in the neonatal intensive care unit and no vertical transmission occurred. This case highlights the importance of the timing of delivery, the need for extended postpartum observation and a beneficial effect of inhaled nitric oxide after delivery for women with COVID-19.

Keywords