COMPLICATIONS OF COVID-19 IN THE GESTATIONAL PERIOD: INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

COVID-19 infection showed a high rate of transmission globally, with care profiles that vary from the level of the disease, as in the majority of those infected, to severe cases. Furthermore, SARS-CoV-2 infection during the gestational period predisposes to a greater risk of premature birth and perinatal death, as a result of iatrogenic induction of premature births, in an attempt to save a seriously ill patient, and systemic inflammatory changes affecting the placenta. Therefore, the present study is an integrative review, at an exploratory level and takes a qualitative form of research, on gestational complications caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, in which 14 articles were included, based on search in electronic databases. Patients exposed to or infected by SARS-CoV-2 had a higher incidence of premature birth, cesarean section, need for resuscitation in the delivery room, Apgar score < 7 in the 5th minute, admission to an intensive care unit and jaundice. Furthermore, during the fourth wave (Delta), the length of hospital stays for patients was shown to be the longest, averaging 111 days; the frequency of X-ray-confirmed pneumonia and the need for non-invasive oxygen support were the highest. Thus, it is concluded that it was possible to observe an increasing number of maternal complications and undeveloped neonatal stages in the newborn, such as increased rates of spontaneous abortion, stillbirths, intrauterine growth restriction, maternal death, and childbirth. premature babies, especially those born iatrogenically