Posted on Jan 4, 2023
Many ERs offer minimal care for miscarriage. One group wants that to change
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https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/01/04/ [login to see] /many-ers-offer-minimal-care-for-miscarriage-one-group-wants-that-to-change
By the time she completed her residency in emergency medicine, Dr. Andreia Alexander had seen all manner of injuries and complications — everything from kidney stones and broken bones to stab wounds and seizures. She was prepared, as an ER saying goes, for "anyone, anything, anytime."
But until recently, neither Alexander nor any of her colleagues in the emergency department at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis had ever performed one of the most common procedures for women of reproductive age — a uterine aspiration (also commonly known as a D&C) or the removal of tissue from the uterus via suction.
The procedure is a standard method for treatment of miscarriage and can be a life-saving intervention if a woman is hemorrhaging. But uterine aspiration is also routinely used to perform early abortions, and that's one reason many emergency departments have historically resisted efforts to make the option available to patients who come in for miscarriage-related care.
That care already accounts for more than 900,000 emergency room visits every year, according to the most recent estimates. Now, as states move to restrict access to abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade, experts say that number is likely to surge even higher.
By the time she completed her residency in emergency medicine, Dr. Andreia Alexander had seen all manner of injuries and complications — everything from kidney stones and broken bones to stab wounds and seizures. She was prepared, as an ER saying goes, for "anyone, anything, anytime."
But until recently, neither Alexander nor any of her colleagues in the emergency department at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis had ever performed one of the most common procedures for women of reproductive age — a uterine aspiration (also commonly known as a D&C) or the removal of tissue from the uterus via suction.
The procedure is a standard method for treatment of miscarriage and can be a life-saving intervention if a woman is hemorrhaging. But uterine aspiration is also routinely used to perform early abortions, and that's one reason many emergency departments have historically resisted efforts to make the option available to patients who come in for miscarriage-related care.
That care already accounts for more than 900,000 emergency room visits every year, according to the most recent estimates. Now, as states move to restrict access to abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade, experts say that number is likely to surge even higher.
Many ERs offer minimal care for miscarriage. One group wants that to change
Posted from npr.org
Medical
Health
Indianapolis
Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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We used to call up to obstetrics and have someone come down to the ER to do this.
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Estimate of 900,000 ER visits for pregnant people bleeding/at risk of miscarriage &/or their own demise or permanent damage to reproductive systems. Let that number sink in.
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