Gravidade de neonatos internados em UTIN durante a pandemia de covid-19: um estudo retrospectivo

Abstract

Introduction: In China, in December 2019, the first cases of COVID-19, a respiratory infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, emerged. Given the global spread of the disease, in March 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the situation a pandemic. Due to the current lack of studies using this approach, little is known about the risk presented by babies of postnatal clinical worsening given the interference and consequences of the pandemic in the gestational period. Objective: Taking maternal, labor and birth conditions as a basis, this study aims to evaluate the impact and effect of the pandemic context on the severity of newborns born during the pandemic and admitted to the NICU and compare them to their peers born in the pre-pandemic period. Methods: A retrospective cohort and case-control study was carried out. Data from newborns admitted to the NICU of Maternidade Escola Januário Cicco (MEJC) and their respective mothers from the years 2019 and 2021 were collected and subsequently analyzed. Results and discussion: There was an increase in neonatal variables, among they are male, use of vasoactive drugs and sedation, cardiac changes, sepsis, low weight (small for gestational age), in addition to an increased number of risk factors in the pandemic group. Regarding mothers, a greater number of prenatal consultations and lower rates of comorbidities such as pre-eclampsia, diabetes mellitus and urinary tract infection were observed. Conclusion: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on newborns is reflected in an increase in risk factors for them. While the pandemic developments for pregnant women proved to be positive in some aspects.