Complicated COVID-19 in pregnancy: a case report with severe liver and coagulation dysfunction promptly improved by delivery.

BACKGROUND: It has been proposed that pregnant women and their fetuses may be particularly at risk for poor outcomes due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. From the few case series that are available in the literature, women with high risk pregnancies have been associated with higher morbidity. It has been suggested that pregnancy induced immune responses and cardio-vascular changes can exaggerate the course of the COVID-19 infection. CASE PRESENTATION: A 26-year old Somalian woman (G2P1) presented with a nine-day history of shortness of breath, dry cough, myalgia, nausea, abdominal pain and fever. A nasopharyngeal swab returned positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Her condition rapidly worsened leading to severe liver and coagulation impairment. An emergency Caesarean section was performed at gestational week 32 + 6 after which the patient made a rapid recovery. Severe COVID-19 promptly improved by the termination of the pregnancy or atypical HELLP (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes and Low Platelet Count) exacerbated by concomitant COVID-19 infection could not be ruled out. There was no evidence of vertical transmission. CONCLUSIONS: This case adds to the growing body of evidence which raises concerns about the possible negative maternal outcomes of COVID-19 infection during pregnancy and advocates for pregnant women to be recognized as a vulnerable group during the current pandemic.

Impact of uterine closure on residual myometrial thickness after cesarean: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Incomplete healing of uterine scar after cesarean has been associated with adverse gynecological and obstetrical outcomes. Several studies reported that uterine closure at cesarean influences the healing of uterine scar and the risk of uterine rupture at subsequent pregnancies: the commonly used locked single-layer suture including the decidua being associated with a 4-fold increased risk of uterine rupture. However, data from randomized trials are lacking. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the impact of 3 techniques of uterine closure after cesarean delivery on uterine scar healing. STUDY DESIGN: This was a 3-arm 1:1:1 randomized study in women with singleton pregnancies undergoing elective primary cesarean delivery at ≥38 weeks' gestation. Closure of the uterine scar was carried out by locked single layer including the decidua, double layer with locked first layer including the decidua, or double layer with unlocked first layer excluding the decidua. Primary outcome was residual myometrial thickness (RMT) at the site of the scar, measured by transvaginal ultrasound 6 months after delivery. Secondary outcome was the RMT as a percentage of the myometrial thickness above the scar (healing ratio). Intent-to-treat analyses using Student t test were performed to compare each double-layer technique to the single-layer closure, and P < .025 was considered significant. RESULTS: Complete follow-up was obtained from 73 (90%) of the 81 participants. Compared to single-layer closure, double-layer closure with unlocked first layer was associated with thicker RMT (3.8 ± 1.6 mm vs 6.1 ± 2.2 mm; P < .001) and greater healing ratio (54 ± 20% vs 73 ± 23%; P = .004). In contrast, double-layer closure with locked first layer was not significantly different than single-layer closure in either RMT (4.8 ± 1.3; P = .032) or healing ratio (60 ± 21%; P = .287). CONCLUSION: Double-layer closure with unlocked first layer is associated with better uterine scar healing than locked single layer.

Strategies to increase the rate of vaginal deliveries after cesarean without negative impact on outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the rate of vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC), including the maternal and perinatal outcomes, in two historical cohorts before and after the implementation of specific changes in the clinical practice. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Skåne University Hospital in Malmö, Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: including all women with one previous cesarean section (CS), who delivered during two 4-year periods: 2005-2008 (Group I) and 2013-2016 (Group II). METHODS: Medical records were retrieved from the hospital's computerized medical system. The surgical reports of all women delivered by repeat CS were reviewed and the appearance of the lower uterine segment at CS was assessed. The primary outcome was VBAC. Secondary maternal outcomes were uterine rupture/dehiscence, hysterectomy and blood loss. The secondary perinatal outcomes were cord blood pH < 7.05 and perinatal mortality rate. Differences for categorical data were studied using the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. To assess differences for continuous data t-tests were used. To determine which factors predicted VBAC both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis with the likelihood ratio test were performed. A two-tailed P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant FINDINGS: 2017 patients were included to the study: 792 patients in Group I and 1225 in Group II. The rate of trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) was 65.0% and 76.9% and the VBAC rate was 49.8% and 62.0% in Group I and II respectively (p < 0.0001). Maternal and perinatal adverse outcomes were not statistically different between the two groups. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Appropriate management of women with one previous CS might increase the VBAC rate without a negative impact on maternal or perinatal outcomes. The antenatal teamwork has the greatest contribution to VBAC rate by increasing the number of women undergoing TOLAC.

Normal vaginal delivery at term after expectant management of heterotopic caesarean scar pregnancy: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Heterotopic pregnancy with a combination of a caesarean scar pregnancy and an intrauterine pregnancy is rare and has potentially life-threatening complications. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of a 27-year-old white woman who had experienced an emergency caesarean delivery at 39 weeks for fetal distress with no postpartum complications. This is a report of the successful expectant management of a heterotopic scar pregnancy. The gestational sac implanted into the scar area was non-viable. The woman was treated expectantly and had a normal vaginal delivery at 37 weeks of gestation. CONCLUSION: Expectant management under close monitoring can be appropriate in small non-viable heterotopic caesarean scar pregnancies.

Underreporting of complete uterine rupture and uterine dehiscence in women with previous cesarean section.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the true incidence of complete uterine rupture and uterine dehiscence among women delivered by cesarean section after a previous cesarean section. METHODS: Medical records of all women who delivered at University Hospital in Malmö, Sweden, during 2005-2009 (n = 21 420) were retrieved from the electronic patient record system (EPRS). After adjustment for inaccuracies, 716 women who had undergone repeat cesarean section were identified and their operation reports were reviewed. Descriptions of complete uterine rupture or uterine dehiscence in operation reports were compared with diagnoses registered in EPRS with International Classification of Diseases codes version 10 (ICD-10). Sensitivity and specificity of complete uterine rupture registration were calculated. RESULTS: There were 13 women with a registered diagnosis of uterine rupture. After reviewing medical records of women with repeat cesarean section, seven additional cases of complete uterine rupture, 33 cases of uterine dehiscence and 39 cases of extremely thin myometrium were identified. The incidence of complete uterine rupture and uterine dehiscence for women who delivered by repeat cesarean section was 2.8% and 10.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of complete uterine rupture was underreported in the EPRS by 35% and diagnosis of uterine dehiscence was missing in 100% of cases.

Validation of the prediction model for success of vaginal birth after cesarean delivery at the university hospital in Barcelona.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the prediction model for successful vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC) based on variables easily obtainable at the first antenatal visit, in a Spanish population. METHODS: Retrospective observational study. Women with a single live fetus in cephalic presentation with one previous low-transverse CD who underwent trial of labor after cesarean delivery (TOLAC) at ≥37 gestational weeks between January 2011 and December 2015 were identified in the hospital's information system. Their antenatal medical records and delivery summary reports were reviewed and individual probabilities of successful VBAC were calculated, according to a previously published model. These probabilities were categorized into deciles. For calibration, each decile of predicted probabilities was compared to the observed rates. To assess the accuracy of the prediction model, receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. RESULTS: In total, 630 women who underwent TOLAC had all required information and were included in the study. Among them, 450 (71.4%) women had successful VBAC. The AUC was 0.70 (95% confidence interval 0.66-0.74). CONCLUSION: Prediction ability of the validated model was in agreement with the original study.