• Amani AlJohi, Ahmad Alohali, Saffanah Alsaeed, Hussam M Sakkijah, and Dalia A Obeid.
• From the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AlJohi, Alsaeed); from the Department of Critical Care Services Administration (Alohali, Sakkijah), King Fahad Medical City, and from the Department of Tissue/Organ Bioengineering and BioMEMS Lab, Organ Transplant Centre of Excellence, Transplant Research and Innovation (Obeid), King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• Saudi Med J. 2024 Apr 1; 45 (4): 379386379-386.

ObjectivesTo explore the traits and risk factors of pregnant women admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) with COVID-19. Moreover, the study classifies outcomes based on differing levels of required respiratory support during their intensive care stay.MethodsThis retrospective and descriptive study included all pregnant women with COVID-19 admitted to the adult critical care unit at a specialized tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Between January 2020 and December 2022. A total of 38 pregnant women were identified and were eligible for our study.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 32.9 (19-45) years, and the average Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV (APACHI IV) score was 49.9 (21-106). Approximately 60.5% of the patients suffered from superimposed infections during their ICU stay. Approximately 81.6% patients were delivered by C-section, 33 of the newborns survived, and 5 died. The crude mortality rate among pregnant women in our cohort was 15.8%. Patients treated with high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) were mostly discharged or delivered normally, while the mechanical ventilation (MV) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation groups mostly underwent C-sections. Most of the surviving newborns were on HFNC and MV. Patients with multiple infections had the longest ICU stay and had the highest risk of death.ConclusionThe results of this study highlight the characteristics of pregnant women admitted to the ICU at a specialized tertiary healthcare center in Saudi Arabia. The APACHI IV scores accurately predicted patient's mortality, duration of MV, and length of ICU stay. In our study, we shared our experience of managing severe COVID-19 infections in pregnant patients.Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal.

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