Ultrasound-guided instrumental removal of the retained placenta after vaginal delivery

The standard treatment for retained placenta is manual extraction, in which a hand is introduced inside the uterus to cleave a plane between the placenta and the uterine wall. For women without an epidural, the procedure is extremely uncomfortable and may require additional measures such as intravenous narcotics or regional anesthesia. Although ultrasound-guided instrumental removal of the placenta is standard practice as part of second-trimester abortion by dilation and evacuation and may be done at many institutions, especially after failed manual extraction, it has not yet been described in the literature as a technique following vaginal birth. Our experience with this technique is that it causes less discomfort to the patient than a traditional manual extraction, because the instrument entering the uterus is much narrower than a hand. With the patient in dorsal lithotomy, we locate the cervix and stabilize it either with fingers or a ring forceps on the anterior lip. We introduce Bierer ovum forceps into the uterus under direct ultrasound guidance. The Bierer forceps are preferred because of their long length, large head, and serrated teeth that allow for a firm, secure grip on the placenta. We grasp the placental tissue with the forceps and apply slow, gentle traction in short strokes, regrasping increasingly more distal areas of placenta as necessary to tease out the placenta. After 1-2 minutes, the placenta separates and can be pulled out of the uterus, usually intact. Our experience suggests that this technique is a well-tolerated option for women without an epidural who have a retained placenta. Further study is needed to quantify the amount of discomfort and anesthesia that can be avoided with this technique, as well as whether there is any change in the frequency of infectious complications or the necessity of postremoval curettage

Women's questions after postabortion insertion of intrauterine contraception

Abstract Background: Postabortion insertion of intrauterine contraception has the potential to decrease unintended pregnancy and repeat abortions, but little is known about how to ensure that women receive appropriate counseling about this method in this setting. The goal of this investigation was to document women's questions and to assess retention of information provided during contraceptive counseling after immediate postabortion intrauterine contraceptive placement. Study Design: Women who received postabortion intrauterine contraceptives (IUCs) at an urban, hospital-based abortion clinic were surveyed 2-3 months postabortion to evaluate for expulsion, assess their concerns about IUC and evaluate retention of information provided during contraceptive counseling. Results: Of 141 women contacted, 121 participated. Almost half of participants (46%) had responses to the question "Do you have any questions or concerns about your intrauterine device?" that fell into the following categories: spotting/bleeding (16%), cramping/pain (15%), string management (10%), expulsion concern (5%). Seventy percent reported less bleeding during menses than prior to IUC placement, and 37% had less cramping. Sixty-three percent were able to accurately report statistics regarding IUC efficacy, 56% recalled common side effects, and 42% remembered what to do if expulsion occurred. Conclusion: Although IUCs are highly effective and their placement in the abortion setting is safe, women frequently have questions and do not recall critical counseling information about IUCs. In order to improve IUC continuation, techniques to improve both patient knowledge retention and anticipatory guidance should be studied further

Ultrasound-guided instrumental removal of the retained placenta after vaginal delivery

The standard treatment for retained placenta is manual extraction, in which a hand is introduced inside the uterus to cleave a plane between the placenta and the uterine wall. For women without an epidural, the procedure is extremely uncomfortable and may require additional measures such as intravenous narcotics or regional anesthesia. Although ultrasound-guided instrumental removal of the placenta is standard practice as part of second-trimester abortion by dilation and evacuation and may be done at many institutions, especially after failed manual extraction, it has not yet been described in the literature as a technique following vaginal birth. Our experience with this technique is that it causes less discomfort to the patient than a traditional manual extraction, because the instrument entering the uterus is much narrower than a hand. With the patient in dorsal lithotomy, we locate the cervix and stabilize it either with fingers or a ring forceps on the anterior lip. We introduce Bierer ovum forceps into the uterus under direct ultrasound guidance. The Bierer forceps are preferred because of their long length, large head and serrated teeth that allow for a firm, secure grip on the placenta. We grasp the placental tissue with the forceps and apply slow, gentle traction in short strokes, re-grasping increasingly more distal areas of placenta as necessary to tease out the placenta (Figure 3 & Video). After 1-2 minutes, the placenta separates and can be pulled out of the uterus, usually intact. Our experience suggests that this technique is a well-tolerated option for women without an epidural who have a retained placenta. Further study is needed to quantify the amount of discomfort and anesthesia that can be avoided with this technique, as well as whether there is any change in the frequency of infectious complications or the necessity of post-removal curettage

Induction of fetal demise before pregnancy termination: practices of family planning providers

ObjectivesOur survey aimed to characterize the practice of inducing fetal demise before pregnancy termination among abortion providers, including its technical aspects and why providers have chosen to adopt it.Study designWe conducted a survey of Family Planning Fellowship-trained or Fellowship-affiliated Family Planning (FP) subspecialists about their practice of inducing fetal demise, including questions regarding the circumstances in which they would induce demise, techniques used and rationales for choosing whether to adopt this practice.ResultsOf the 169 FP subspecialists we surveyed, 105 (62%) responded. About half (52%) of respondents indicated that they routinely induced fetal demise before terminations in the second trimester. Providers' practices varied in the gestations at which they started inducing demise as well as the techniques used. Respondents provided legal, technical and psychological reasons for their decisions to induce demise.ConclusionInducing fetal demise before second-trimester abortions is common among US FP specialists for multiple reasons. The absence of professional guidelines or robust data may contribute to the variance in the current practice patterns of inducing demise.ImplicationsOur study documents the widespread practice of inducing fetal demise before second-trimester abortion and further describes wide variation in providers' methods and rationales for inducing demise. It is important for abortion providers as a professional group to come to a formal consensus on the appropriate use of these techniques and to determine whether such practices should be encouraged, tolerated or even permitted