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Case Report

Respiratory Failure in an Extremely Premature Neonate with COVID-19

1
Department of Pediatrics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
2
Department of Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
3
Division of Infection Prevention, John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
4
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Kaleida Health, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Children 2021, 8(6), 477; https://doi.org/10.3390/children8060477
Submission received: 11 May 2021 / Revised: 30 May 2021 / Accepted: 31 May 2021 / Published: 4 June 2021

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a condition associated with SARS-CoV-2, typically results in mild infection in infants and children. However, children with risk factors such as chronic lung disease and immunosuppression have higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. We report a case of a 27-week-gestation extremely premature infant born to a mother with COVID-19 infection. The infant, initially treated for surfactant deficiency, developed worsening hypoxic respiratory failure on the fifth day of life requiring escalating ventilatory support, an elevated level of C-reactive protein, thrombocytopenia, and an elevated level of d-dimer. The infant was positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR from Day 1 to Day 42 of his life. The infant responded to a seven-day course of dexamethasone with a gradually decreasing oxygen requirement and could be extubated to non-invasive ventilation by the end of the fifth week after birth. The infant is currently on home oxygen by nasal cannula. Prolonged shedding of the virus may be a unique feature of the disease in premature infants. Extreme prematurity, immature lungs, and an immunocompromised status may predispose these infants to severe respiratory failure and a prolonged clinical course. Instituting appropriate COVID-19 protocols to prevent the spread of the disease in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is of utmost importance. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 may have implications in the management of extremely premature infants in the NICU.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; respiratory failure; prematurity; infant COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; respiratory failure; prematurity; infant

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Kumar, V.H.S.; Prasath, A.; Blanco, C.; Kenney, P.O.; Ostwald, C.M.; Meyer, T.S.; Clementi, C.F.; Maciejewski, R.; Wilby, M.T.; Reynolds, A.M.; et al. Respiratory Failure in an Extremely Premature Neonate with COVID-19. Children 2021, 8, 477. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8060477

AMA Style

Kumar VHS, Prasath A, Blanco C, Kenney PO, Ostwald CM, Meyer TS, Clementi CF, Maciejewski R, Wilby MT, Reynolds AM, et al. Respiratory Failure in an Extremely Premature Neonate with COVID-19. Children. 2021; 8(6):477. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8060477

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kumar, Vasantha H. S., Arun Prasath, Clariss Blanco, Patrick O. Kenney, Christina M. Ostwald, Tracy S. Meyer, Cara F. Clementi, Richard Maciejewski, Mark T. Wilby, Anne Marie Reynolds, and et al. 2021. "Respiratory Failure in an Extremely Premature Neonate with COVID-19" Children 8, no. 6: 477. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8060477

APA Style

Kumar, V. H. S., Prasath, A., Blanco, C., Kenney, P. O., Ostwald, C. M., Meyer, T. S., Clementi, C. F., Maciejewski, R., Wilby, M. T., Reynolds, A. M., Hpa, N. J., & Yu, K. O. A. (2021). Respiratory Failure in an Extremely Premature Neonate with COVID-19. Children, 8(6), 477. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8060477

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