618 - Impact of pandemic SARS-Cov-2 in preterm or low birth weight infants followed in three outpatient Kangaroo Mother Care Programs in Colombia.

Poster Number: 618
Publication Number: 618.225

nathalie charpak, Kangaroo Foundation, Bogota, Distrito Capital de Bogota, Colombia; Adriana Montealegre-Pomar, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana- Kangaroo Foundation, Bogotá, Distrito Capital de Bogota, Colombia

Background: on March 6, 2020, the first SARS-Cov-2 infection case was confirmed in Colombia. Later, on March 11, 2020, the WHO characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic and declared a worldwide public health emergency. This was an unprecedented event that took the whole humanity by surprise and quickly forced to take extreme measures like isolation to try to stop and mitigate the risk in population. In this context, premature and/or low birth weight (LBW) infants who are cared in the high-risk consultation of the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) program have been more affected and /or vulnerable because of requiring strict follow-up.

Objective: to describe pandemic SARS-Cov-2 impact in health outcomes during KMC programs follow-up.

Design/Methods: Retrospective cohort of 3320 preterm or LBW infants followed in three KMC programs between 2020 and 2021. A descriptive analysis of feeding patterns and hospital readmissions was performed. Variables were reported as percentages. 

Results: During pandemic years (2020-2021), proportion of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) did not change significantly at 40 weeks; on the other hand, there was an increase in EBF at 3 and 6 months in all GA groups: < 32 weeks GA (from 16 and 8% pre-pandemic to 22 and 18% post-pandemic, respectively), 33 to 36 weeks GA (from 27 and 14% pre-pandemic to 43 and 32% post-pandemic) and in those 37 weeks and older (from 30 and 16% pre-pandemic to 49 and 38% post-pandemic). Additionally, re-admissions decreased from 7 to 1% up to 40 weeks, and from 18% to 2.3% between 40 weeks and 12 months.

Conclusion(s):

one of the interesting aspects influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic on kangaroo babies, was an increase in the proportion of EBF once they were discharged, more than two times at 6 months corrected age in all groups, with a decrease in readmissions, probably related to the home isolation measure and protective procedures such as the use of masks by parents and increased adherence to hand washing. Currently, with return to normal activities following vaccination for SARS-Cov-2, readmissions due to respiratory infections have increased.