| Abstract: | Laminaria tents were used in addition to the technique of saline abortion in an attempt to shorten the injection-abortion interval. 142 second trimester therapeutic abortion patients, aged 13 to 40 years, agreed to participate in the study and were assigned to 1 of 4 groups. 72.2% were single, 27.8% were married, and the gestational age was from 13 to 20 weeks. Group 1 (26 primigravid patients) served as the control group (no oxytocin or laminaria tent used). Group 2 (25 primigravid patients) received an intravenous infusion of 20 units oxytocin/500 ml of 5% dextrose in water (beginning 12 hours after saline injection). Group 3 (50 primigravid patients) likewise received an infusion of 20 units oxytocin/500 ml of 5% dextrose in water (beginning 12 hours after saline injection), and in addition, a single medium, sterile laminaria tent was inserted at the time of the saline injection and removed 12 hours after insertion. Group 4 (41 multigravid patients) received treatment identical to that of Group 3. The mean interval time from injection to delivery in Group 1 was 41.26 hours. The mean injection-abortion time was 30.67 hours for Group 2, 26.84 hours for Group 3, and 22.96 hours for Group 4. The complication rate was significantly higher for both the oxytocin plus saline group (Group 2) as well as the laminaria plus saline groups (Groups 3 and 4). Group 3 experienced a 22% febrile rate, and 18% of patients required uterine curettage, while the figures for Group 4 were 12.2% and 24.4%, respectively. The laminaria tents did result in an 11% to 15% increase in complications in Groups 3 and 4, respectively, as compared with Group 2. |
