- If you get the flu and you are pregnant, this is the protocol that the hospital will apply for the care of your health and that of the baby. It is important to know to help hospital staff in their work.
During the admission of a pregnant patient who is a suspected or confirmed case of influenza, with severity criteria, the attitude to follow will be: - Isolation of droplets and contact with the patient while the symptoms persist and for at least 24 hours more with the afebrile patient -which is the usual duration of the transmission period-, by an individual evaluation of the case, being able to shorten or prolong the hospital stay according to the more or less favorable evolution of the patient.
- It must be remembered that all prevention and hygiene measures will be carried out in the same way as with non-pregnant patients.
- Control of constants (TA; FC and TEMPERATURE by turns).
Assessment of respiratory rate and pulse oximetry in shifts.
Evolution of the daily state of consciousness.
- Daily cardiopulmonary auscultation, preferably performed by the Internal Medicine Service. Given the appearance of clinical signs suggestive of pneumonia, a chest X-ray will be carried out on the patient, since early diagnosis of the same is very important given the severity that viral or bacterial pneumonia has in pregnant women with flu.
- An analytical control will be carried out on the patient every 24 hours to evaluate possible variations in the infectious parameters.
- The midwives will perform cardiotocographic records per day, and if not specified according to the gestational age of the patient; Fetal heartbeat assessment will be performed at least once a day.
Medications for pregnant women with flu
- Pharmacological treatment of pregnant women with influenza is indicated in cases of clinical suspicion or confirmed infection. If the nasopharyngeal swab is negative, treatment can be discontinued.
- The drug of choice is OSELTAMIVIR (Tamiflu) : 75 mg every 12 hours orally for 5 days (according to individual assessment, the duration of treatment will be extended if the symptoms do not subside).
- Treatment with Zanamivir (2 inhalations of 5 mg/12h for 5 days) is considered second choice since it is not absorbed and therefore does not have systemic activity.
- The effectiveness of the treatment is maximum when administered within the first 48 hours. Therefore, it is necessary to inform pregnant women about the symptoms of flu and the need to see their doctor early. Symptomatic treatment of fever should not be forgotten, using antipyretics ( paracetamol 1 gram every 8 hours orally or multivitamins containing folic acid
- being the choice, since it is known that maternal fever during the first trimester doubles the risk that the fetus will present neural tube defects and may be associated with other congenital defects and adverse events. We have taken the recommendation of the Department of Health of the Basque Country as an example.