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Dilatation and Evacuation Procedures and Second-Trimester Abortions
- Source :
- JAMA. 248:559
- Publication Year :
- 1982
- Publisher :
- American Medical Association (AMA), 1982.
-
Abstract
- Some clinicians have hesitated to perform dilatation and evacuation (D & E) procedures at 13 weeks' gestation or later because D & Es are more difficult to perform safely than suction-curettage procedures. Moreover, many clinicians still believe all second-trimester abortion procedures should be performed in a hospital. To evaluate these concerns, we analyzed 24,664 abortion performed between 1973 and 1978 by four physicians associated with a large outpatient abortion facility; 3,711 (15%) of the abortions were second-trimester procedures. Dilatation and evacuation was associated with a lower rate of serious complications per 100 procedures (0.23) than instillation of either dinoprost (prostaglandin F2 alpha) (1.28) or hypertonic saline (2.26). In addition, D & E had lower rates for most other specific complications. We conclude that D & E, while requiring more operator skill than earlier suction-curettage procedures, can be learned by gynecologists familiar with suction-curettage, can be performed more safely than the alternative instillation procedures, and can be safely practiced in selected ambulatory settings.
Details
- ISSN :
- 00987484
- Volume :
- 248
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- JAMA
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........bd9e13e8cf024e382d2fdd38ade66d68