Study details risk factors for maternal COVID-19 death in Latin AmericaAn observational study using a multinational database of 447 maternal COVID-19 deaths in Latin America reveals that over 90% were attributed to acute respiratory failure after severe infection and that 35% of the women who died were never admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), possibly due to lack of capacity.The analysis, led by researchers at the Universidad de Cartagena in Colombia, involved 447 maternal deaths attributed to COVID-19 in eight Latin American countries from Mar 1, 2020, to Nov 29, 2021.The investigators obtained data on COVID-related maternal deaths in Costa Rica (11 deaths), Ecuador (55), Honduras (126), Paraguay (86), the Dominican Republic (30), Colombia (84), Bolivia (21), and Peru (34).At maternal death, median age was 31 years and median gestational age was 31 weeks.
A total of 86.4% of the women tested positive for COVID-19 before delivery, with 60.3% of cases identified in the third trimester.The most common symptoms at hospitalization were shortness of breath (73.0%), fever (69.0%), and cough (59.0%).
Of the women who died, 90.4% had organ dysfunction at admission, nearly half were obese, 9.2% had a history of diabetes, 8.4% had a history of high blood pressure, and 25.3% were older than 35 years.
Overall, 64.8% of women were admitted to an ICU for a median of 8 days. Eight deaths occurred among healthcare workers.Median time from symptom onset to death was 14 days, Most deaths occurred in the first 6 weeks after delivery, with a median of 7 days between childbirth and death.