CHARACTERISTICS AND CLINICAL MANAGEMENT OF NEONATES WITH COVID-19 – AN INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.1594162405011

• Palavras-chave: Covid-19; Neonates; Clinical manifestations; Management

• Keywords: Covid-19; Neonates; Clinical manifestations; Management

• Abstract:

  INTRODUCTION: In December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Covid-19 is a potentially serious respiratory infection that stands out for its high transmission capacity and global reach. The first case of neonatal COVID-19 in the world occurred on March 29, 2020 in Korea, with the greatest concern being related to the mode of transmission and clinical course. OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics and clinical management of newborns with Covid-19. METHODOLOGY: This is an integrative review carried out on the LILACS, SciELO, PubMed and UpToDate websites. The inclusion criteria were articles published in Portuguese, Spanish and English, articles with the full text available, articles published and indexed in the selected databases in the last five years. RESULTS: At the end of the search process, articles were found, of which only 14 met the methodological criteria. The articles analyzed showed that vertical mother-to-concept transmission rarely occurs, with most of the time the contamination of the newborn is caused by respiratory droplets, contaminated material or aerosols, so it is extremely important that the health team is aware of the characteristics and forms of clinical management. Among the characteristics, a relationship was seen between the presence of COVID-19 in pregnant women and prematurity, the predominant symptoms in newborns are generally mild (respiratory, gastrointestinal and fever).
   Asymptomatic newborns or those with mild symptoms (positive for the SARS-Cov-2 virus) must remain with their mother in rooming-in and be breastfed. In symptomatic cases and in need of ventilatory support, the newborn must be transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, remaining in an incubator and isolated from others. It is also recommended to use a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance) filter in the expiratory branch of the mechanical ventilator, perform aspiration in a closed system and use of personal protective equipment by the healthcare team. CONCLUSION. The limitation of carrying out this review was the small number of field studies addressing COVID-19, so it is suggested that more studies be carried out in this context and with current and robust samples. Finally, the importance of multidisciplinary teams being aware and attentive to the characteristics and ideal management of newborns with COVID-19 is highlighted in order to carry out individual protection, avoid transmission and identify signs of worsening of the disease.