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Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the presence of any post-COVID physical and stress sequelae up to 3 months postpartum. Materials and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was carried out in a tertiary center from India wherein all clinically stable COVID-positive pregnant women delivering between May 2020 to January 2021 were included. These women were evaluated at 3 months postpartum using Standard Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)-Civilian Checklist, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Results: Among 42 women evaluated, most of the women felt that they had returned to their pre-COVID health (76.19%, 32 women). Three women (7.14%) had some persistent symptoms, and another seven women (16.66%) were not sure whether they felt the same as pre-COVID health status. Self-reported symptoms such as fatigue, myalgia, and nightmare were reported in 21.43%, 14.28%, and 2.38%, respectively. The frequency of stress and anxiety as seen with the DASS was seen in one (2.38%) and three (7.14%) women, respectively. Although none of the women had PTSD, 9.52% were potential candidates for PTSD. The mean score in FSS was 12.57 ± 4.14 and through Visual Analog Fatigue Scale score was 4.76 ± 1.28. Conclusion: Postpartum women are at risk of post-COVID physical and stress sequelae.
ABSTRACT
Context: Reproductive tract infections/sexual tract infections (RTI/STIs) have a huge economic impact in terms of costs of healthcare, loss of productivity and the long-term sequelae. Aims: This study was aimed at documenting the pattern of RTI/STIs and clinico-epidemiological profiles of patients attending an STI clinic. Settings and Design: Seventy-six female patients attending the STI clinic at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, AIIMS Rishikesh between November 2017 and March 2018 were recruited after taking informed verbal consent in this cross-sectional study. Methods and Materials: All patients were evaluated and managed according to the syndromic approach (NACO). Patients were interviewed and data were entered into a semi-structured questionnaire. Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analysed using Microsoft Excel 2016 (Microsoft Corporation, released September 22, 2015). Results: The average age of the patients was 34.46 ± 8.77 years, with a maximum of patients (41%) in the age group 25-35 years. The majority of patients were from an urban background (62%), Hindu (91%), married (95%) and housewives (74%). Most had some level of formal education (97%) and belonged to the lower middle class (43%). The most common diagnosis was lower abdominal pain (LAP) (68%) followed by vaginal/cervical discharge (VD/CD) (30%). Only one patient out of 76 had genital ulcer disease - herpetic (GUD-H). Conclusions: There is a need for focussed community-based interventions targeting the young, urban, lower-middle-class population to reduce the burden of STIs, particularly LAP.
ABSTRACT
Background and objective Surgical complications can arise either intraoperatively or postoperatively. The factors that lead to complications in gynaecological surgeries could be both patient-related or surgeon-related. In this study, we aimed to identify the frequency of intraoperative and postoperative complications in gynaecological surgeries conducted at our institution and to evaluate various risk factors that may predispose patients to these complications. Materials and methods This was a retrospective analysis of women undergoing gynaecological surgeries in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at a tertiary centre in Uttarakhand, India from February 2016 to December 2019. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and perioperative complications of these women were recorded. Results A total of 389 women undergoing gynaecological surgeries were included in the study cohort. Of note, 94 of these had perioperative complications, accounting for 24.16% of the total cases. The most common route of surgery associated with complications was open abdominal surgery (34.66%). The operating time in most surgeries ranged from two to three hours (48.93%), and the average duration of hospital stay after surgery was 10.79 + 7.91 days. Intraoperative and postoperative complication rates were 5.91% and 19.28% respectively. Of these, surgical site infections (SSIs) (10.28%) and fever (5.39%) were the most common complications observed. Independent parameters like age, parity, route of surgery, operative time, preoperative duration of hospital stay, and preoperative blood transfusion were significantly associated with perioperative complications. Conclusions Surgical complications were more frequently seen in abdominal cases compared to other routes. Knowledge of centre-specific surgical outcome data can help in providing patients with better preoperative counselling.
ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate women undergoing emergency peripartum hysterectomy (EPH) during COVID-19 pandemic regarding their sociodemographic features, indications, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and assess their health problems related to a traumatic birth. Methods This was a retrospective review of EPH cases operated from March 2020 to March 2021 in terms of demographic characteristics, intraoperative, and postoperative outcome variables. Results During the specified time period, there were nine cases of EPH. All patients were young with ages ranging from 25 to 31 years; all were unbooked having unplanned pregnancies and presented at varying gestational ages. Six out of nine cases (66.67%) had previously scarred uterus with five women having morbidly adhered placenta. A total of 77.78% (seven out of nine) patients referred to our centre with high-risk factors. Five out of nine women (55.56%) needed ICU care. Seven out of nine women (77.78%) had live births and two of these infants died. The guilt of losing the baby, lethargy, worries related to feminity and sexual health, and flashbacks of ICU stay were major concerns. Conclusion The morbidly adhered placenta was the primary cause of EPH in our study cohort. Preventive psychological session should be an integral part of postpartum follow-up visits for any women with traumatic childbirth.
