OBJETIVO: Descrever o impacto da implementação oportuna de novas condutas recomendadas por consensos clínicos nacionais dirigidos à prevenção da transmissão vertical de HIV na maternidade de um hospital universitário público no Brasil. MÉTODO: Realizou-se um estudo retrospectivo de coorte dos partos de mulheres infectadas pelo HIV atendidos na instituição de 1990 a 2000. As condutas adotadas nesse período foram: 1) até 1994, amamentação contra-indicada, sem uso de drogas anti-retrovirais; 2) de 1995 a 1996, uso de zidovudina (AZT) pela gestante e pelo recém-nascido; 3) de 1997 a 1998, uso de AZT conforme protocolo ACTG 076; e 4) de 1999 a 2000, terapia anti-retroviral múltipla e cesárea eletiva. Em todos os períodos, a distribuição das drogas foi gratuita. Foram calculadas as taxas de transmissão nas quatro fases e as razões de risco de transmissão congênita para as fases e para cada intervenção profilática (amamentação, tipo de terapia anti-retroviral, tipo de parto). RESULTADOS: Foram estudadas 197 gestações. Houve redução na transmissão vertical da primeira para a quarta fase, de 32,3 para 25,7, 2,2 e 2,9%. A maior queda, observada na terceira fase, ocorreu após a introdução do esquema completo do ACTG 076. O uso de terapia anti-retroviral combinada aumentou de 0% na primeira fase para 46,4% na quarta fase. Não houve nenhum caso de transmissão vertical nas gestantes tratadas com múltiplas drogas. O risco de transmissão vertical foi 5 vezes maior com amamentação do que sem amamentação (razão de risco = 5,06), 5 vezes maior sem terapia anti-retroviral contra uso do esquema ACTG completo (razão de risco = 5,29) e 4 vezes maior para parto com fórcipe contra cesárea eletiva (razão de risco = 4,13). CONCLUSÃO: A adoção oportuna de intervenções atualizadas, recomendadas por consenso nacional de especialistas, com provisão gratuita de drogas, mostrou-se eficiente para reduzir a transmissão congênita do HIV.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact, at the public maternity facility of a university hospital in Brazil, of the rapid implementation of new guidelines recommended by national consensus panels concerning the prevention of vertical HIV transmission. METHOD: We performed a retrospective study of deliveries by HIV-infected women at the public maternity facility of a university hospital in the city of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, from 1990 through 2000. The guidelines utilized at the facility during this period were: (1) from 1990 through 1994, contraindication to breast-feeding and no use of antiretroviral drugs; (2) 1995 and 1996, use of zidovudine (AZT) by the pregnant woman and the newborn; (3) 1997 and 1998, use of AZT according to the ACTG 076 protocol; and (4) 1999 and 2000, multiple antiretroviral agents and elective cesarean delivery. All the antiretroviral drugs were provided for free by Brazil's public health care system. The vertical transmission rate was calculated for each of the four stages, and the risk ratio for congenital transmission was calculated for each stage and for each prophylactic intervention separately (breast-feeding, type of antiretroviral drug, type of delivery). RESULTS: We studied 197 deliveries at the public maternity facility over that 1990-2000 period. Over the four stages, the rate of vertical transmission decreased: it was 32.3% in the first stage, 25.7% in the second, 2.2% in the third, and 2.9% in the fourth. The most pronounced decrease, observed from the second to the third stage, occurred after introduction of the full ACTG 076 regimen. The use of combined antiretroviral agents increased from 0% in the first stage to 46.4% in the fourth stage. There were no cases of vertical transmission in pregnant women treated with multiple drugs. The risk of vertical HIV transmission was 5 times as great with breast-feeding vs. no breast-feeding (risk ratio = 5.06), 5 times as great with no antiretroviral therapy vs. the full ACTG 076 regimen (risk ratio = 5.29), and 4 times as great with forceps delivery vs. elective cesarean delivery (risk ratio = 4.13). CONCLUSION: The timely adoption of up-to-date interventions recommended by national consensus panels, along with the free provision of antiretroviral drugs, was effective in reducing congenital HIV transmission in this public maternity facility. The interaction between the university hospital health service and the public health service reduced the time needed for implementation of proven, effective interventions, and this experience could serve as an example for other maternal and perinatal health situations.
