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. 2022 Apr;305(4):859-867.
doi: 10.1007/s00404-021-06212-6. Epub 2021 Aug 29.

Obstetric A&E unit admission and hospitalization for obstetrical management during COVID-19 pandemic in a third-level hospital of southern Italy

Luigi Carbone  1 , Antonio Raffone  2 , Antonio Travaglino  3 , Laura Sarno  1 , Alessandro Conforti  1 , Olimpia Gabrielli  1 , Valentino De Vivo  1 , Martina De Rosa  1 , Sonia Migliorini  1 , Gabriele Saccone  1 , Mariavittoria Locci  1 , Carlo Alviggi  1 , Antonio Mollo  4 , Maurizio Guida  1 , Fulvio Zullo  1 , Giuseppe Maria Maruotti  1
Affiliations

Obstetric A&E unit admission and hospitalization for obstetrical management during COVID-19 pandemic in a third-level hospital of southern Italy

Luigi Carbone et al. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Background: The COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread in Italy since February 2020, inducing the government to call for lockdown of any activity, apart primary needs, during the months March-May 2020. During the lockdown, a reduction of admissions and hospitalizations for ischemic diseases was noticed. Purpose of this study was to observe if there has been the same reduction trend in Accident & Emergency (A&E) unit admissions also for obstetric-gynecological conditions.

Methods: Medical records and electronic clinical databases were searched for all patients who were admitted to the obstetric A&E department or hospitalized at the Gynecology and Obstetrics Unit of University hospital of Naples Federico II, during the quarter March-May in the years 2019 and 2020. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of monthly admission to the obstetric A&E department and hospitalization of the year 2020 was compared with that of the year 2019, using the unpaired T test with α error set to 0.05 and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

Results: Admissions were 1483 in the year 2020 and 1786 in 2019. Of total, 1225 (37.5%) women were hospitalized: 583 in the year 2020, 642 in 2019. Mean ± SD of patients monthly admitted to our obstetric A&E department was 494 ± 33.7 in the year 2020, and 595.3 ± 30.9 in 2019, with a mean difference of - 101.3 (95% CI - 103.5 to - 99.1; p < 0.0001). Mean ± SD of patients monthly hospitalized to our department was 194 ± 19.1 in the year 2020, 213.7 ± 4.7 in 2019, with a mean difference of - 19.7 (95% CI - 23.8 to - 15.6; p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: A significant decrease in the mean of monthly admissions and hospitalizations during the COVID-19 pandemic when compared to the previous year was found also for obstetric-gynecological conditions. Further studies are necessary to assess COVID-19 impact and to take the most appropriate countermeasures.

Keywords: Admission; Hospitalization; Infection; Obstetric; Pregnant; SARS-COV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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