Despite rapidly evolving knowledge about COVID 19 infection, routes of perinatal COVID 19 transmission and viral load in mother neonate dyad remain uncertain. Data were analysed to describe the clinicodemographic profile and viral load in neonates born to COVID 19 positive mothers. Of 2947 deliveries, 69 mothers were COVID 19 positive (2.3%), with 1 abortion, 2 macerated stillbirths and 2 fresh stillbirths as pregnancy outcomes. Of 65 tested neonates, 10.7% (7) were confirmed COVID 19 positive by RTPCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction). Viral load (cycle threshold, Ct of E, RDRp) in neonates was comparable with the Ct reported from adults; however, neonates had milder clinical manifestations. All 7 neonates who tested positive for COVID 19 were subsequently discharged. Six of the 7 neonates were asymptomatic and 1 neonate needed respiratory support (indication being prematurity) which resolved after 48 h. Maternal and neonatal comparison of Ct of E and RdRp gene was statistically non-significant (25.97 vs 19.68, p = 0.34 and 26.5 vs 25.0, p = 0.84). Viral loads of mothers with COVID 19 positive neonates compared with mothers with COVID 19 negative neonates for E and RdRp gene were also statistically non-significant (25 vs 27.19, p = 0.63 and 19.6 vs 27.6, p = 0.08). The majority (93%) of neonates tested later than 48 h (roomed in with mother and breastfed) tested negative. Conclusion: The study supports milder manifestation in COVID 19 positive neonates. Risk of transmission from COVID 19 positive mother to neonate by rooming-in and breastfeeding is low. In this study on a limited number of neonates, maternal viral load was not found to be associated with the positivity status or severity of the illness of neonate.

Introduction The COVID19 pandemic raises a major concern about its severity in pregnancy, fetomaternal outcomes and risk of vertical transmission.The Cycle threshold indicating the viral load can be a contributory factor towards modifying the management of such pregnant women. We report a retrospective descriptive study regarding the clinical course, fetomaternal outcomes of pregnant women with COVID19. Methodology This is a single-center, retrospective study performed in a tertiary care hospital for pregnant women with COVID-19 in India. The medical records of the all women who delivered in the Covid facility from May 5th 2020 to June 5th 2020 were reviewed independently. Data extracted from the records included demography, obstetric details, co morbidities, disease severity, investigations, management and information on neonates (birthweight, Apgar score, and perinatal complications).Statistical analysis was performed by the SPSS program for Windows, version 17.0(SPSS, Chicago, Illinois) Results Amongst 348 women(suspects) tested for SARS-CoV-2, 57 women ( 57/348,16.3%) were confirmed positive based on qRT-PCR of nasopharyngeal specimen. Most women (45 /78.9 %) had mild infection with favourable fetomaternal outcomes. Three maternal mortalities were associated with co morbidities. Five neonates tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, remained haemodynamically stable and were subsequently discharged. Conclusions Majority of pregnant women with Covid-19 had mild disease and recovered subsequently with good perinatal outcomes. Women with co morbidities may have increased risk of severe morbidity and mortality.The Cycle threshold signifying the viral load and degree of infectivity can modify the management during pregnancy.Long-term outcomes and the potential mother-to-child vertical/horizontal transmission needs further study.

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Labor and delivery-related complications being the largest contributors to India's high maternal mortality rate, optimizing labor and delivery are of utmost importance. This study analyses the safety and efficacy of active management of labor at a secondary hospital using the protocol proposed by Daftary [1].Women in labor with a term pregnancy who consented to the protocol formed the study group. The control group was managed expectantly. The 2 groups of 700 participants each were similar regarding parity, age, and pregnancy-related complications such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, intrauterine growth retardation, and postdatism.A gel preparation containing 0.5 mg of prostaglandin E2 was instilled intracervically in women with a Bishop score of 6 or less, and oxytocin was administered for labor augmentation if necessary. The partogram was then started, and amniotomy performed [2]. At the onset of the active phase of labor, 6 mg of pentazocin (an opioid analgesic) and 2 mg of diazepam (a tranquilizer) were diluted in distilled water and administered intravenously, and 50 mg of camylofin dihydrochloride (a smoothmuscle relaxant) was administered intramuscularly. Three hours later an injection of tramadol hydrochloride (an analgesic) or drotaverine hydrochloride (an antispasmodic) was given, the latter being repeated every 2 h depending on the partogram and the patient's pain score. An injection of 125 mg of carboprost tromethamine was given intramuscularly after delivery to promote contraction and retraction of the uterine musculature. The remainder of the pentazocine and diazepam mixture was injected while the episiotomy was being sutured. The pain score was tabulated, and the total duration of labor and labor outcomes were analyzed. P b.05 was considered significant in determining the effect of active management of labor on the rate of cesarean deliveries. An attempt was made to identify the indications that could benefit from this protocol.

Introduction Obstetric early warning score (OEWS) has been used conventionally for early identification of deteriorating obstetric patients in the labor room and ward settings. This study was conducted to determine if this simple clinical score could be used for prognosticating a critically ill patient in the ICU setting instead of sequential organ failure assessment score (SOFA) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) score. Materials and Methods A cohort study was conducted at Obstetrics Critical Care Unit, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. A total of 250 obstetric patients were recruited after informed consent. The OEWS, SOFA, and APACHE II scores were calculated within 24 hours of admission. The patients were followed to study the maternal outcome. Results The area under receiver operator characteristic (AUROC) curve of OEWS, SOFA, and APACHE II for prediction of maternal mortality was 0.894 (95% CI, 0.849–0.929), 0.924 (95% CI, 0.884–0.954), and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.891–0.958), respectively. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for OEWS, SOFA, and APACHE II was 66.3, 62.5, and 69.15%, respectively. Conclusion Obstetric early warning score is as effective as the conventional SOFA and APACHE II to prognosticate the obstetric patient. Since OEWS is based only on clinical criteria, it can be done immediately on admission and can help in early allocation of appropriate manpower and resources for optimum outcome. Clinical significance The clinical application of this study will help intensivists to prognosticate the critically ill obstetric patients immediately following admission to the critical care unit. How to cite this article Khergade M, Suri J, Bharti R, Pandey D, Bachani S, Mittal P. Obstetric Early Warning Score for Prognostication of Critically Ill Obstetric Patient. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(6):398–403.

Objective To determine the clinical manifestations, risk factors, treatment modalities and maternal outcomes in pregnant women with lab-confirmed COVID-19 and compare it with COVID-19 negative pregnant women in same age group. Design Multicentric case-control study. Data sources Ambispective primary data collection through paper-based forms from 20 tertiary care centres across India between April and November 2020. Study population All pregnant women reporting to the centres with a lab-confirmed COVID-19 positive result matched with controls. Data quality Dedicated research officers extracted hospital records, using modified WHO Case Record Forms (CRF) and verified for completeness and accuracy. Statistical analysis Data converted to excel files and statistical analyses done using STATA 16 (StataCorp, TX, USA). Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) estimated using unconditional logistic regression. Results A total of 76,264 women delivered across 20 centres during the study period. Data of 3723 COVID positive pregnant women and 3744 age-matched controls was analyzed. Of the positive cases 56·9% were asymptomatic. Antenatal complications like preeclampsia and abruptio placentae were seen more among the cases. Induction and caesarean delivery rates were also higher among Covid positive women. Pre-existing maternal co-morbidities increased need for supportive care. There were 34 maternal deaths out of the 3723(0.9%) positive mothers, while covid negative deaths reported from all the centres were 449 of 72,541 (0·6%). Conclusion Covid-19 infection predisposed to adverse maternal outcomes in a large cohort of Covid positive pregnant women as compared to the negative controls.

Background Exogenous progesterone is a treatment option for obstetric indications associated with reduced progesterone activity. Oral natural micronized progesterone (NMP) is effective, although it requires multiple daily doses and may cause adverse events due to its active metabolites. A sustained-release formulation of NMP (NMP-SR) has been developed to overcome the limitations of conventional oral NMP. Methods This narrative review examines the available evidence for oral NMP and NMP-SR in several obstetric indications of interest. Results Literature searches identified 17 studies of oral NMP (luteal phase support during assisted reproduction, prevention of threatened miscarriage, prevention of preterm delivery), and clinical studies supporting use of NMP-SR (luteal phase support during intrauterine insemination, maintenance of high-risk pregnancy). Oral NMP was effective for luteal phase support during in vitro fertilization and intrauterine insemination, prevention of threatened miscarriage, and prevention of preterm delivery. NMP-SR was comparable to dydrogesterone for luteal phase support during intrauterine insemination and effectively maintained high-risk pregnancies. Oral NMP-SR was well tolerated. Conclusions By releasing progesterone gradually and circumventing first-pass metabolism, NMP-SR elicits the desired therapeutic effect with benefits over conventional oral NMP in terms of bioavailability, once-daily dosing and improved tolerability. Oral NMP-SR appears to be a valuable option for treating obstetric conditions associated with insufficient progesterone exposure.