INTRODUCTION:
Over one million pregnancies each year will end in termination of pregnancy. There has not been a study in the United States to indicate a clear association between intraoperative blood loss and choice of anesthetics. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a difference in intraoperative bleeding with inhalational versus non-inhalational anesthesia agents for patients undergoing suction dilatation and curettage for first trimester voluntary termination of pregnancy.
METHODS:
This is an institutional review board approved retrospective chart review of the electronic medical records of patients undergoing voluntary termination of pregnancy between 5 0/7 and 14 0/7 weeks of pregnancy from 2012 and 2014 at the Metropolitan Hospital Center. Comparison of blood loss and anesthetic technique was done using the Mann-Whitney U Test. Blood loss was estimated by the operating gynecology physician.
RESULTS:
The mean intraoperative blood loss for inhalational anesthetics is significantly higher than with non-inhalational agents (p=0.007). Age, body mass index (BMI), gestational age at voluntary termination of pregnancy, or number of methylergonovine doses was not statistically significant between the groups.
CONCLUSION:
The difference in blood loss between the two types of anesthetic techniques may not be clinically significant in a healthy reproductive-age woman. These findings may be important for patients with significant anemia or at an increased risk of bleeding, such as those with coagulopathies. Limitations of this study include its retrospective nature, as well as the method of blood loss measurement.
