Incidence of emergency department visits and complications after abortion

[fnr]

Incidence of emergency department visits and complications after abortion.
Upadhyay UD, Desai S, Zlidar V, Weitz TA, Grossman D, Anderson P, Taylor D.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25560122

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
To conduct a retrospective observational cohort study to estimate the abortion complication rate, including those diagnosed or treated at emergency departments (EDs).

METHODS:
Using 2009-2010 abortion data among women covered by the fee-for-service California Medicaid program and all subsequent health care for 6 weeks after having an abortion, we analyzed reasons for ED visits and estimated the abortion-related complication rate and the adjusted relative risk. Complications were defined as receiving an abortion-related diagnosis or treatment at any source of care within 6 weeks after an abortion. Major complications were defined as requiring hospital admission, surgery, or blood transfusion.

RESULTS:
A total of 54,911 abortions among 50,273 fee-for-service Medi-Cal beneficiaries were identified. Among all abortions, 1 of 16 (6.4%, n=3,531) was followed by an ED visit within 6 weeks but only 1 of 115 (0.87%, n=478) resulted in an ED visit for an abortion-related complication. Approximately 1 of 5,491 (0.03%, n=15) involved ambulance transfers to EDs on the day of the abortion. The major complication rate was 0.23% (n=126, 1/436): 0.31% (n=35) for medication abortion, 0.16% (n=57) for first-trimester aspiration abortion, and 0.41% (n=34) for second-trimester or later procedures. The total abortion-related complication rate including all sources of care including EDs and the original abortion facility was 2.1% (n=1,156): 5.2% (n=588) for medication abortion, 1.3% (n=438) for first-trimester aspiration abortion, and 1.5% (n=130) for second-trimester or later procedures.

CONCLUSION:
Abortion complication rates are comparable to previously published rates even when ED visits are included and there is no loss to follow-up.

 

[hwriggles4]

I’m glad someone is doing a study like this.

As a former EMT/Firefighter, I did get to time contractions, but I never did have an actual delivery. After reading Lime Five years ago (It’s only been within the last 10-15 years that I have embraced the Pro-Life Movement), which was helpful to me becoming more Pro-Life, there are stories in Lime Five of complications, where young ladies were forced to have emergency surgery to save their lives, and sadly, the surgery left these young ladies not only unable to bear children, but also with some psychological damage. It was also from reading this book that I found out why there is a link between abortion and breast cancer.

There have been cases where a post-abortive woman will experience septic shock, excessive bleeding, and other complications that require a physician’s or a nurses help. It’s not like the flu - it’s much different. There have been instances where an ambulance has been dispatched to an abortion mill, but there are other times a clinic worker will take the woman to the hospital in a vehicle, in order to avoid negative publicity.

More recently, I watched a few episodes of *Medical Center *made in the early 1970’s. There was an episode where Dr. Gannon and Dr. Lochner had to do a hysterectomy on a 20 year old woman who was brought in with excessive bleeding from a botched abortion. There was also another episode where a college girl was having some psychological and trust issues in part due to a botched abortion that took place a year before. There was even another episode where a 19-year old girl sorority sisters were unable to wake her up one morning, so the girls called an ambulance, and she was rushed to the Medical Center. The girl died at the hospital due to septic shock - she had an abortion a few days before, and Dr. Gannon had to write “abortion” as the cause of death on the death certificate.

Marcus Welby, M.D. did a similar episode circa 1972 where the daughter’s mother pushed her 19 year old daughter to have an abortion. Drs. Welby and Kiley refused to do an abortion, so the mother found another doctor. The daughter was left unable to conceive, and nearly died due to the complications.

It seems like the medical community today ignores these cases, and thinks ABC is the answer to preventing abortion. ABC has also increased breast cancer (due to the extra hormones), but the majority of the medical community denies this.

Today’s medical shows (well, I do recall *ER *doing one or two episodes, particularly one where a patient had multiple abortions, and Dr. Weaver questioned “why”) will not cover topics like this. I’m glad Medical Center and Marcus Welby, M.D. did.

 

[Mickey_Finn]

When I was a medic I treated two from clinics. Both were internal hemorrhage issues. Vaginal bleeders in Latin women were very common coming from homes. But I don’t know what the exact cause of these were. I’ve heard horror stories about coat hangers etc. But I don’t know if any of that is true.

(I delivered five that lived and a few that did not.)