Neonatal complications of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) study
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN60033461 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN60033461 |
| ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT) | Nil known |
| Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) | Nil known |
| Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) | 282127 |
| Protocol serial number | IRAS 282127 |
| Sponsor | University of Oxford |
| Funder | National Institute for Health Research |
- Submission date
- 30/07/2020
- Registration date
- 31/07/2020
- Last edited
- 16/11/2023
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Infections and Infestations
Plain English summary of protocol
Backgroud and study aims
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an international public health crisis and is rapidly spreading around the world. So far it looks like most newborn babies and infants are not severely affected, but this is based on information about very small numbers of babies so there might be important effects of COVID-19 in babies that we don’t yet know about.
There are three main ways that COVID-19 might affect newborns and babies that need hosptial care when they are born or soon afterwards:
1. Newborn babies might catch COVID-19 before, during or soon after birth and this may lead to problems with breathing or feeding that need support in hospital.
2. COVID-19 could affect babies that are already on neonatal units with other medical conditions (like being very premature) that make them more at risk of severe infection.
3. COVID-19 might affect that way that pregnant women are looked after in pregnancy or labour which could lead to problems for some babies, even if they do not catch COVID-19
We plan to look at how COVID-19 is affecting newborns and babies who require hospital care in the United Kingdom (UK) through the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU) notification system. To do this we will ask all paediatricians (doctors who look after babies and children) across the UK to report any baby they look after that is affected by COVID-19 as described above.
We will then ask the paediatricians looking after babies affected by COVID-19 some simple questions about how the baby is affected, what treatment they need, and what happens after the infection. We will use information that is routinely collected by doctors and nurses on neonatal units and paediatric intensive care units to better understand what medical treatments babies with COVID-19 receive. We will also link up with a similar surveillance study looking at COVID-19 in pregnant women (called UKOSS) and work with Public Health England (PHE) and similar organisations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to get a complete picture of the neonatal complications of COVID-19.
Who can participate?
Babies diagnosed with COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 infection) or born to mothers with COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 infection).
What does the study involve?
We will only collect information about the affected babies and this study will not affect the care that the babies receive.
The collection of information is from medical records only and does not require active participation by parents.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
This is an 'observational' study which involves the collection of information from medical records and will not affect the care that babies receive and it thesefore does not involve any risks or benefits for the babies whose information is included.
Where is the study run from?
The study is being run by a collaboration of researchers from across the UK and is being organised from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) in the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
The study will collect information about eligible babies from 1st March 2020 to 31st March 2021. To ensure that we collect all the information require the study will continue until 30th September 2022.
Who is funding the study?
The study is funded by a grant provided by the NIHR Policy Research Programme through the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Maternal and Neonatal Health and Care which is based at the NPEU, University of Oxford and with collaborators at the Universities of Leicester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Manchester, Imperial College London and University College London (PR-PRU-1217-21202).
Who is the main contact?
Dr Chris Gale, christopher.gale@imperial.ac.uk
Prof. Jenny Kurinczuk, jenny.kurinczuk@npeu.ox.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
Neonatal Medicine
School of Public Health
Faculty of Medicine
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital campus
4th floor, lift bank D
369 Fulham Road
London
SW10 9NH
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0003-0707-876X |
|---|---|
| Phone | + 44 (0)203 3153519 |
| christopher.gale@imperial.ac.uk |
Scientific
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit
Nuffield Department of Population Health
University of Oxford
University of Oxford Old Road Campus
Headington
Oxford
OX3 7LF
United Kingdom
| ORCID ID |
0000-0001-9554-6337 |
|---|---|
| Phone | + 44 (0)77 7551 6686 |
| jenny.kurinczuk@npeu.ox.ac.uk |
Study information
| Primary study design | Observational |
|---|---|
| Study design | Observational national prospective cohort study |
| Secondary study design | Epidemiological study |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Neonatal complications of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) study |
| Study objectives | Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an international public health crisis and has rapidly spread around the world. Evidence to date suggests that most newborn babies and infants are not severely affected, but this is based on small numbers of cases so there might be important effects of COVID-19 in babies that we don’t yet know about. This observational study is designed to investigate the incidence, presentation, mode of transmission, severity, management and outcomes for hospitalised neonates diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 before they are 29 days old; and the secondary impacts on babies born to mothers diagnosed with COVID-19 where the baby is admitted for hospital care. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 29/03/2020, North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee (NHS BT Blood Donor Centre, Holland Drive, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE2 4NQ, UK; +44 (0)207 972 2503; newcastlenorthtyneside2.rec@hra.nhs.uk), ref 20/NE/0107 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 infection) |
| Intervention | Observational study: using the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit system we will collect information about presentation, mode of transmission, severity, management and outcomes for hospitalised neonates diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 and the same information for babies born to mothers with COVID-19 disease from 1st March 2020 until 31st March 2021. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Incidence of neonatal COVID-19 and mode of transmission measured using patient records from the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit system from 1st March 2020 until 31st March 2021 |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
Measured using patient records from the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit system from 1st March 2020 until 31st March 2021: |
| Completion date | 30/09/2022 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 10000 |
| Total final enrolment | 66 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Two groups of babies are eligible for inclusion: 1. Babies who have a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection made on a sample taken in the first 28 days and received inpatient care on a postnatal ward, neonatal unit, paediatric inpatient ward or paediatric intensive care unit 2. Babies born to mothers with COVID-19 where the baby requires hospital care within the first 28 days after birth |
| Key exclusion criteria | Does not meet inclusion criteria |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/03/2020 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/03/2022 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centre
Nuffield Department of Population Health
Old Road Campus
Headington
Oxford
OX3 7LF
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in repository |
| IPD sharing plan | Individual data will be shared with a global register of babies affected by COVID-19 and a prospective individual patient meta-analysis being carried out as a WHO collaboration. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | Characteristics and outcomes of neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infection | 01/02/2021 | 16/02/2021 | Yes | No |
| Results article | Neonatal outcomes of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection | 10/03/2023 | 13/03/2023 | Yes | No |
| Results article | 15/11/2023 | 16/11/2023 | Yes | No | |
| HRA research summary | 28/06/2023 | No | No | ||
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
| Protocol (other) | 13/03/2023 | No | No | ||
| Protocol file | version 2 | 11/05/2020 | 13/03/2023 | No | No |
| Study website | Study website | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Additional files
- ISRCTN60033461_Protocol_v2_11May2020.pdf
- Protocol file
Editorial Notes
16/11/2023: Publication reference added.
13/03/2023: The following changes have been made:
1. Publication reference added.
2. The protocol has been linked and uploaded.
29/09/2022: The intention to publish date was changed from 30/03/2023 to 30/03/2024.
17/03/2022: The intention to publish date has been changed from 31/08/2020 to 30/03/2023.
27/09/2021: The following changes have been made:
1. The recruitment end date has been changed from 30/09/2021 to 30/03/2022.
2. The overall trial end date has been changed from 30/03/2022 to 30/09/2022 and the plain English summary has been updated to reflect this change.
16/03/2021: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The recruitment end date was changed from 31/03/2021 to 30/09/2021.
2. The overall end date was changed from 30/09/2021 to 30/03/2022.
16/02/2021: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. Publication reference added.
2. The total final enrolment was added.
30/07/2020: Trial’s existence confirmed by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
