Subcapsular liver hematoma complicating HELLP syndrome: A case report and review of management strategies.

Subcapsular liver hematoma is a life-threatening complication of pregnancy. It is associated with preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome. We present the case of a 36-year-old Caucasian nulliparous woman who was diagnosed at 29 weeks and 6 days of gestation with mild preeclampsia. After brief hospitalization she was discharged. During a daily follow-up, at 31 weeks and 3 days of gestation, she complained of mild abdominal pain and blood tests revealed HELLP syndrome. The cervix was unripe. A healthy baby was delivered by emergency cesarean section. The following day, the patient complained of persistent abdominal pain, and at the same time the hepatic cytolysis worsened dramatically. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a significant subcapsular hematoma without any active bleeding or breach of Glisson's capsule. We treated the patient conservatively and she was discharged home 10 days after the diagnosis was made. The symptoms of subcapsular liver hematoma are non-specific. They include nausea, vomiting and epigastric pain, and pain in the right upper quadrant or shoulder. Biological analyses can show hepatic cytolysis, haemolysis and coagulation disorders. Medical imaging can confirm the diagnosis. The management of subscapular liver hematoma may depends on whether there is hemodynamic stability, active bleeding or breach of Glisson capsule's. If the patient is stable and in the absence of active bleeding, management should be purely symptomatic.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Unvaccinated Pregnant Women: Non-Reassuring Fetal Heart Rate Tracing Because of Placentitis.

In 2020, a new coronavirus, called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in China. SARS-CoV-2 infection has been shown to be highly morbid in pregnant women, being a risk factor for several obstetric conditions leading to increased maternal and neonatal mortality. A few studies since 2020 have shown SARS-CoV-2 maternal-fetal transmission and noted placental abnormalities grouped under the term placentitis. We hypothesized that these placental lesions could be responsible for abnormalities in placental exchange and therefore abnormalities in cardiotocographic monitoring, leading to premature fetal extraction. The objective is to identify the clinical, biochemical, and histological determinants associated with the occurrence of non-reassuring fetal heart rate (NRFHR) outside labor in fetuses of SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers. We conducted a retrospective multicenter case series of the natural history of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infections resulting in fetal delivery outside labor due to NRFHR. Collaboration was sought with the maternity hospitals in the CEGORIF, the APHP and Brussels hospitals. The investigators were contacted by e-mail on three successive occasions over a period of one year. Data from 17 mothers and 17 fetuses were analyzed. Most women had a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection; only two women presented severe infection. No woman was vaccinated. We found a substantial proportion of maternal coagulopathy at birth: elevation of APTT ratio (62%), thrombocytopenia (41%) and liver cytolysis (58.3%). Iatrogenic prematurity was noted in 15 of 17 fetuses, and 100% were born by cesarean delivery due to emergency criteria. One male neonate died on the day of birth due to peripartum asphyxia. Three cases of maternal-fetal transmission were recorded following WHO criteria. Placental analysis in 15 cases revealed eight cases of SARS-CoV-2 placentitis, causing placental insufficiency. In total, 100% of the placentas analyzed showed at least one lesion suggestive of placentitis. SARS-CoV-2 maternal infection during pregnancy is likely to generate neonatal morbidity in relation to placental damage resulting in placental insufficiency. This morbidity may be the consequence of induced prematurity as well as acidosis in the most severe situations. Placental damage occurred in unvaccinated women and in women with no identified risk factor, in contrast to severe maternal clinical forms.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Gamma Variants among Symptomatic Pregnant Women: A Two-Center Retrospective Cohort Study between France and Brazil.

New variants of SARS-CoV-2 are a major source of concern, especially for pregnant women and in the perinatal context. The primary aim of this study was to compare the severity of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women depending on strain predominance between wild-type Alpha and Gamma variants. The secondary aim was to study the impact of these strains on obstetrical and neonatal outcomes. We conducted a two-center international retrospective cohort study, which included two type III maternity hospitals, one in France and one in Brazil, comparing the first period corresponding to the wild-type strain and the second period corresponding to the predominance of the Alpha variant in France and the Gamma variant in Brazil. We included 151 pregnant women with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by RT-PCR. The rate of severe-to-critical infection, according to the WHO definition, was seven-fold higher in patients infected during the "variant period" than in patients infected during the "wild-type period" (aOR = 7.07, 95CI [2.50−21.6], p < 0.001). There were no statistical differences concerning composite obstetrical and neonatal outcomes between the different periods. While analyzing each variant separately, it was found that, in France, the risk of developing a severe-to-critical infection was three times greater during the Alpha period than during the wild-type period (OR = 3.25, 95CI [0.70−15.6], p = 0.13) and, in Brazil, the risk was twelve times greater during the Gamma period than during the wild-type period (OR = 11.8, 95CI [2.46−72.3], p = 0.003). The Alpha and Gamma variants of SARS-CoV-2 seem to be more dangerous in the obstetrical context. With the rapid emergence of new variants, it is necessary to accelerate vaccination to protect women and newborn children.