Key result
Maternal comorbidities, not COVID-19 infection, are linked to higher rates of fetal cardiac disease.
Why the study?
The characteristics and occurrence of fetal heart diseases and arrhythmias during the COVID-19 pandemic in pregnancies undergoing fetal echocardiography were not well described.
Does maternal COVID-19 infection increase the risk of fetal heart diseases and arrhythmias?
Cohort (n=148)
No
Does maternal COVID-19 infection increase the risk of fetal heart diseases and arrhythmias?
Absolute Event Rate: 73.3% vs 39.1%
Maternal COVID-19 infection during pregnancy does not appear to increase the risk of fetal arrhythmias or structural heart disease, which are instead driven by traditional risk factors like maternal comorbidities and fetal malformations.
Supports no added fetal cardiac risk from maternal COVID-19; leaves open independent comorbidity effects in prospective cohorts.
Objective: To evaluate the characteristics and the occurrence of fetal heart diseases and arrhythmias in pregnancies that underwent fetal echocardiography examination during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data extracted from the Fetal Ultrasound and Fetal Medicine Departments of Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, a tertiary hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, from January to December 2021. The sample was analyzed using chi-square or Fisher's exact tests, and Student's t-test or the Mann-Whitney test. Logistic regression was performed to assess the risk of fetal arrhythmia and/or heart disease. Results: A total of 148 fetuses were included in the analysis. The prevalence of fetal heart disease/arrhythmia was higher among patients with maternal comorbidities (73.3% vs. 39.1%), fetal defects (14.3% vs. 0.8%), and functional abnormalities (26.7% vs. 4.5%). Maternal COVID-19 showed no significant association with fetal cardiac outcomes. Maternal comorbidity, fetal malformation, and the presence of functional abnormalities were identified as independent risk factors. Conclusion: Maternal comorbidities were associated with fetal arrhythmia and/or heart disease, but no causal relationship was found between COVID-19 and adverse fetal cardiac outcome.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Mattos et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Fetal heart disease and arrhythmias (n=148). Maternal comorbidities vs. Absence of maternal comorbidities was evaluated on Fetal heart disease and/or arrhythmia. Maternal comorbidities increased the prevalence of fetal heart disease or arrhythmia (73.3% vs. 39.1%), while maternal COVID-19 showed no significant association with adverse fetal cardiac outcomes.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: