Photo Credit: Lidiia Moor
The following is a summary of “Early pregnancy SARS-COV-2 infection and fetal cardiac and hemodynamic changes,” published in the October 2024 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology by Xu et al.
Early pregnancy is a critical period for fetal development, and the effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on fetal health require investigation.
Researchers conducted a prospective study to assess the impact of early pregnancy SARS-CoV-2 infection on fetal cardiac function and hemodynamics.
They involved 60 women who had recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection and 20 control women. Fetal ultrasound evaluations were performed between 11 and 14 weeks of pregnancy, assessing cardiac function (tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion [TAPSE], mitral annular plane systolic excursion [MAPSE], E/A ratio) and hemodynamics (ductus venosus [DV]/S, DV-D, DV-A, DV-TAMV, DV-PI, DV-PLI, DV-PVIV).
The results showed the median gestational age of the recovering SARS-CoV-2 infection (RSI) group was 12 (0.5) weeks, while the control groups were 12 (0.7) weeks (P=0.76). No statistically significant differences in ultrasound measurements of cardiac function and hemodynamics between the groups (P>0.05).
They concluded that SARS-CoV-2 infection in early pregnancy does not significantly affect fetal cardiac function and hemodynamics. However, further research was needed to explore impacts during mid to late pregnancy.
Source: obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jog.16118