Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the perioperative outcomes of maternal and neonatal prognosis: A propensity score-matched analysis

Introduction: We conducted this study to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 infection on maternal and neonatal prognosis. Methods: We retrospectively collected data on mothers who underwent emergency cesarean section and their neonates from October 2022 to December 2022. Data on demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and perioperative maternal and neonatal outcomes were collected. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed with whether the parturient women were infected with COVID-19 (tested positive and combined with at least one of the clinical symptoms related to COVID-19 infectionwas defined as positive, vs tested negative was defined as negative). Outcomes were compared between positive and negative groups. Results: The study finally consisted of 58 parturient women (n= 29, positive; n = 29, negative). The anaesthesia satisfaction score and postoperative recovery quality score (QoR-15) of the noninfected parturient women group were higher (10 vs 10, P=0.005 and 144 vs 148, P=0.029, respectively). There was a lower incidence of fetal distress in noninfected newborns (17.24% vs 44.83%, OR=3.9, 95% CI 1.163-13.078, P=0.023). Conclusion: Infection with COVID-19 combined with related clinical symptoms could reduce maternal satisfaction with anaesthesia, postoperative recovery quality scores and with potential increasing risk of fetal distress, but it had no clear impact on neonatal development.