Publication: First Reported Death of a Postpartum Woman Due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Nepal: A Lesson Learnt
Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kathmandu University
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 was reported on December 31, 2019
in Wuhan, China where the average case fatality rate was 6.1 ± 2.9%. There are
453 deaths as of September 24, 2020 in Nepal. We report the first death of a
29-years-old postpartum woman due to COVID-19 in Nepal who was referred from
a rural health center to Dhulikhel Hospital. On arrival, she was taken to the acute
respiratory zone of the emergency department to provide immediate lifesaving
procedures. Despite the repeated resuscitative measures, return of spontaneous
circulation could not be achieved. The real time polymerase chain reaction test
was positive. Our case report highlights the importance of early clinical suspicion,
importance of “safety first” in healthcare settings, and the chain of management in
such patients. We consider the fact that a postpartum woman registered as the first
case of COVID-19 related death in Nepal to be an area of further study.
KEY WORDS
Coronavirus, Emergency department, Personal protective equipment, Postpartum
death, Real time polymerase chain reaction, Resuscitation
Description
Shrestha AP,1 Bhushal N,2 Shrestha A,3 Tamrakar D,3 Adhikari P,4 Shrestha P,4 Shrestha A,4Karmacharya B,4 Basnet S,1 Tamrakar SR,5 Shrestha R,1 Shrestha R6,7
1Department of General Practice and Emergency Medicine
2Department of Microbiology,
3Department of Community Medicine,
4Department of Public Health and Community Program,
5Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
6Department of Pharmacology,
7Pharmacovigilance Unit/Research and Development Division,
Dhulikhel Hospital Kathmandu University Hospital,
Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences,
Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal.
Keywords
Coronavirus, Emergency department, Personal protective equipment, Postpartum death, Real time polymerase chain reaction, Resuscitation