Objective: To evaluate both short and mid-term effects of
maternal COVID-19 on cardiac functions of fetuses and children.
Methods: The present case-control study was conducted on 36
pregnant women who had COVID-19 infection in the second trimester of
pregnancy and 30 pregnant women as healthy controls. Fetal, neonatal and
infant cardiac functions were compared between the groups. Assessment of
fetal cardiac functions were performed in the last trimester of the
pregnancy at least 6 weeks after the recovery of infection. The first
postnatal echo was performed within the first two weeks and the
follow-up (second) echo was performed in the 6-8 weeks of life.
Results: The demografic data were similar between groups.
Interventricular septum and left ventricular posterior wall
end-diastolic dimensions were significantly higher in the study group in
both fetal, neonatal and infant periods. Impaired diastolic functions of
right and left ventricles were detected and myocardial performance
indexes with tissue doppler imaging of both lateral walls and septum
were significantly higher than controls at all periods.
Conclusion: Maternal COVID-19 seems to have a global impact on
cardiac functions of babies in the short and mid-term periods after
maternal recovery.