Delays in maternal care and hypertensive complications at the Sabogal hospital, Callao, Peru, 2021. Case-control Study

Objective: To evaluate if there is association between delay II in maternal care and complications of Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) at the Alberto Sabogal Hospital in the context of the Covid19 pandemic.

Material and methods: Case-control study carried out in a reference hospital in the Callao region, Peru. The study included women aged 19 or over, treated for emergency caesarean section attended in the obstetric areas COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 in the months of January to April 2021. Pregnant women with pre-existing diseases, as well as those with other obstetric complication were excluded. Patients with complications of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) were included as cases, and those without these complications as controls. Age, origin, occupation, type of delay and type of complication of PIH were measured. A questionnaire was used according to the Thadeus and Mayne model and documentary review. The association between delay II and complications of PIH was evaluated through the odds ratio (OR).

Results: It was found that the cases had a higher risk of having been exposed to type II delays than the controls (OR: 7.72; 95% CI: 3.44-17.35). There was an association between delay II and hypertensive complications. It was identified that delay II was associated with the origin of the patient.

Conclusion: In the period of the Covid-19 pandemic, women who had complications from PIH were more exposed to type II delays than controls at the Alberto Sabogal hospital in Callao, Peru. Prospective studies are required to confirm this association and the effects of congestion of hospital services by patients with covid-19 on other maternal-perinatal outcomes in the region.