SPECIAL REPORT | VOLUME 17/ISSUE 2, MARCH 2021

Neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infection: is this a vertical transmission?

Neonatal COVID-19, its manifestations and transmission, remains unclear. As the pandemic continues more evidence will emerge but so far, vertical transmission of COVID-19 is rare with just a few reports in the literature.¹ We share our experience of managing a preterm newborn with COVID-19 in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) where the vertical route seems the most likely mode of transmission.

Femi Adeniyi
ST6 Paediatrics
femi.adeniyi@nhs.net

Sanjeev Rath
Neonatal Consultant
s.rath@nhs.net

Yewande Wey
MTI Fellow
yewande.wey@nhs.net

Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Full text available by subscription ...

The full text of this article is available to subscribers in text, and in Tablet/iPad format and as a PDF file.

Please subscribe and log in to see the full article.

Keywords

fetal renin-angiotensin system blockade; candesartan; pulmonary hypoplasia

Key points

Regular medication reviews should be undertaken for women of childbearing age.
Neonatologists should ensure that a detailed maternal medication history is taken for all babies admitted to neonatal units.
Fetal renin-angiotensin system blockade is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition. For those babies who do survive, neonatologists should ensure appropriate follow-up is put in place post-discharge.