Importance of Testing for Maternal-fetal Transmitted Infectious Diseases in the Case of a Sars COV-2 Infected Pregnant Women

Abstract

Maternal-fetal transmission of infectious diseases during the pregnancy poses a risk for the pregnant woman and for the future baby as well. The present case highlights the importance of testing during the pregnancy for all the infectious diseases included in the TORCH panel. We will consider the case of a 26-year-old woman, obese, at the third pregnancy, without co-morbidities or complications. She presented at the Emergency Room at 25 weeks of gestation with vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain. RT-PCR nasopharyngeal swabs collected at the moment of admission were positive for SARS CoV-2. The fetus was not alive. The first intention was inducing the childbirth, but as this procedure did not work hysterectomy was performed at two days of admission. The decision was made as a result of altered maternal health.  The patient presented with persistent hypoxia, tachypnoea and to prevent acute respiratory decompensation the patient was transferred to the intensive care and intubated. Despite maximum ventilator support, she suffered a cardiopulmonary collapse and died within 24 hours of intubation after all failed resuscitation efforts. The patient was not vaccinated against COVID-19 and did not present other TORCH infectious diseases.The presented case highlights the importance of testing for COVID-19 in pregnancy.