Three-year impact of COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalized twin pregnancies: evaluation of characteristics and changes in antibiotic prescribing

TL;DR

The study found that the COVID-19 pandemic increased hospital admissions and changed antibiotic use in twin pregnancies, with more complications and longer hospital stays.

Contribution

This study reveals new insights into how the pandemic affected twin pregnancies and antibiotic prescribing patterns over three years.

Findings

Twin pregnancy admissions increased by 24.19% during the pandemic.

Neonates had higher pneumonia rates and NICU admissions during the pandemic.

Antibiotic prescriptions increased for older patients, higher BMI, and premature deliveries.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted healthcare systems worldwide, including obstetric care. However, the long-term effects on twin pregnancies remain unclear. This study investigates the impact of COVID-19 on the clinical characteristics and antibiotic prescribing patterns in hospitalized twin pregnancies.

A retrospective cohort study was conducted at Women and Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China, involving 3,827 twin pregnancies with live deliveries between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022. The pre-pandemic group included 1,707 patients, and the pandemic group included 2,120. Sociodemographic and clinical data were analyzed using general linear models with SPSS and R software.

During the pandemic, twin pregnancy admissions increased by 24.19%. Patients in the pandemic group have less gestational weight gain (17.00 vs. 16.08 kg, P < 0.001), had higher rates of assisted reproductive technology use (73.2% vs. 68.7%, P = 0.002), and experienced more complications. Neonates showed higher rates of pneumonia (5.7% vs. 3.8%, P < 0.001) and NICU admissions (43.7% vs. 13.9%, P < 0.001). Longer hospital stays were observed in the pandemic group (P = 0.004). Antibiotic prescriptions, especially non-repeat prescriptions, increased for older patients, those with higher BMI, and premature deliveries. The rate of repeated antibiotic prescriptions for bacterial vaginosis increased 1.68 times.

COVID-19 influenced twin pregnancy admissions, clinical characteristics, and antibiotic use. The study highlights the need for rational antibiotic use and improved healthcare resource management in future crises.

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