6 May 2021 03:15 pm
Following the death of the first pregnant woman due to COVID-19 in the country, the College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SLCOG) today said that most pregnant women experience shortness of breath when tested positive for COVID-19 and hence there’s a requirement to refer them to ICU facilities.
Speaking at a press conference, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr Mayuramana Dewolage said that so far five out of six mothers, who have tested positive for COVID-19, have been referred to ICU care.
“Unfortunately one of them died while being transferred from one hospital to the other.
“We that the existing COVID-19 strain would increase maternal mortality rate. One out of the five pregnant women has complications in the lungs and is in a critical condition.
“Currently there are only two ECMO machines in the country. This machine pumps and oxygenates blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest. However, this process is quite costly and is subject to complications. This lady has been referred to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital and is surviving on one of these machines.”
He also said that the tendency to conduct C-section births is on the rise particularly because there is a risk of having a normal birth if the mother has already tested positive for COVID-19.
SLCOG President Dr Pradeep De Silva said that so far 80% of those who have tested positive for the virus are asymptomatic.
“We have explained to the head of the COVID-19 Task Force how a device such as a pulse-oximeter would be helpful in this situation. Self-discipline is paramount at this juncture. These devices could be utilised at the household level. On the other hand, around 20% of cases show symptoms and need to be referred to an intermediate care centre.
“But everybody cannot be sent to the same hospital. Therefore we recommend that more centres should be opened at the provincial level and each facility should include between 50-200 beds.”
Dr De Silva said that 10-50 High Flow Oxygen devices should be installed at each of these Observation Units.
“This should be facilitated by the Task Force. Separate ICU facilities should be established for pregnant women and these should be equipped with at least 4-10 ICU beds. Two more ECMO devices should be allocated for pregnant women as well. If these facilities are in place we would be able to protect the lives of our people.” (Kamanthi Wickramasinghe)