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Medical versus surgical treatment of first trimester spontaneous abortion: A cost-minimization analysis.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Traditionally the gold-standard technique for the treatment of spontaneous abortion has been uterine evacuation by aspiration curettage. However, many studies have proposed medical treatment with misoprostol as an alternative to the conventional surgical treatment. The aim of this study was to apply cost minimization methods to compare the cost and effectiveness of the use of vaginal misoprostol as a medical treatment for first trimester spontaneous abortion with those of evacuation curettage as a surgical treatment. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We present a longitudinal, prospective and quasi-experimental research study including a total of 547 patients diagnosed with first-trimester spontaneous abortion, in the period from January 2013 to December 2015. Patients were offered medical treatment with 800 mg vaginal misoprostol or evacuation curettage. Patients treated with misoprostol were followed-up at 7 days and a transvaginal ultrasound was performed to confirm the success of the treatment. If it failed, a second dose of 800 mg of vaginal misoprostol was prescribed and a new control ultrasound was performed. In case of failure of medical treatment after the second dose of misoprostol, evacuation curettage was indicated. The effectiveness of each of the treatment options was calculated using a decision tree. The cost minimization study was carried out by weighting each cost according to the effectiveness of each branch of the treatment. Of the 547 patients who participated in the study, 348 (64%) chose medical treatment and 199 (36%) chose surgical treatment. The overall effectiveness of medical treatment was 81% (283/348) and surgical treatment of 100%. The estimated final cost for medical treatment was € 461.92 compared to € 2038.72 for surgical treatment, which represents an estimated average saving per patient of € 1576.8. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Medical treatment with misoprostol is a cheaper alternative to surgery: in the Spanish Public Healthcare System, it is five times more inexpensive than curettage. Given its success rates higher than 80%, mild side effects, controllable with additional medication and the high degree of overall satisfaction, it should be prioritized over the evacuation curettage in patients who meet the treatment criteria.

SUBMITTER: Cubo AM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6328124 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Medical versus surgical treatment of first trimester spontaneous abortion: A cost-minimization analysis.

Cubo Ana M AM Soto Zandra M ZM Haro-Pérez Ana A Hernández Hernández M Estrella ME Doyague M José MJ Sayagués José M JM

PloS one 20190110 1

<h4>Background</h4>Traditionally the gold-standard technique for the treatment of spontaneous abortion has been uterine evacuation by aspiration curettage. However, many studies have proposed medical treatment with misoprostol as an alternative to the conventional surgical treatment. The aim of this study was to apply cost minimization methods to compare the cost and effectiveness of the use of vaginal misoprostol as a medical treatment for first trimester spontaneous abortion with those of evac ...[more]

PMID: 30629715

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Project description:BackgroundDespite a liberal abortion law, access to safe abortion services in South Africa is challenging for many women. Medication abortion was introduced in 2013, but its reach remains limited. We aimed to estimate the costs and cost effectiveness of providing first-trimester medication abortion and manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) services to inform planning for first-trimester service provision in South Africa and similar settings.MethodsWe obtained data on service provision and outcomes from an operations research study where medication abortion was introduced alongside existing MVA services in public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal province. Clinical data were collected through interviews with first-trimester abortion clients and summaries completed by nurses performing the procedures. In parallel, we performed micro-costing at three of the study hospitals. Using a model built in Excel, we estimated the average cost per medical and surgical procedure and determined the cost per complete abortion performed. Results are presented in 2015 US dollars.ResultsA total of 1,129 women were eligible for a first trimester abortion at the three study sites. The majority (886, 78.5%) were eligible to choose their abortion procedure; 94.1% (n = 834) chose medication abortion. The total average cost per medication abortion was $63.91 (52.32-75.51). The total average cost per MVA was higher at $69.60 (52.62-86.57); though the cost ranges for the two procedures overlapped. Given average costs, the cost per complete medication abortion was lower than the cost per complete MVA despite three (0.4%) medication abortion women being hospitalized and two (0.3%) having ongoing pregnancies at study exit. Personnel costs were the largest component of the total average cost of both abortion methods.ConclusionThis analysis supports the scale-up of medication abortion alongside existing MVA services in South Africa. Women can be offered a choice of methods, including medication abortion with MVA as a back-up, without increasing costs.

Project description:Study objectiveThe potential for maternal antidepressant use to influence the risk of spontaneous abortion, one of the most important adverse pregnancy outcomes, is not clear. We aimed to assess whether first trimester antidepressant exposure was associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion.DesignCommunity-based prospective cohort study (Right from the Start).SettingEight metropolitan areas in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.ParticipantsA total of 5451 women (18 years of age or older) who were planning to conceive or were pregnant (before 12 weeks of completed gestation) and were enrolled in the study between 2000 and 2012; of those women, 223 used antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs] only [170], SSRIs and non-SSRIs [9], and non-SSRIs only [44]) during their first trimester, and 5228 did not (never users). Measurements and Main Results First trimester antidepressant use was determined during a first trimester telephone interview. Spontaneous abortion was self-reported and verified by medical records. The association of first trimester antidepressant use and spontaneous abortion was assessed by using Cox proportional hazard regression. Among the 5451 women enrolled, 223 (4%) reported first trimester antidepressant use, and 659 (12%) experienced a spontaneous abortion. SSRIs were the most common class of antidepressants used (179 [80%]). Compared with women who never used antidepressants during the first trimester of pregnancy, women who reported antidepressant use were 34% (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.97-1.85) more likely to experience a spontaneous abortion after adjusting for covariates. Women who reported ever using SSRIs were 45% (aHR 1.45, 95% CI 1.02-2.06) more likely to experience a spontaneous abortion compared with never users. When time of loss relative to the time of interview was taken into consideration, the association between first trimester SSRI use and spontaneous abortion was significant only among those with losses before the interview (aHR 1.49, 95% CI 1.04-2.13) but was not significant among those with losses after the interview (aHR 0.43, 95% CI 0.06-3.15).ConclusionThe association between use of first trimester antidepressants, particularly SSRI use, and spontaneous abortion was significant only among women whose exposure status was assessed after loss. In this instance, reporting bias may create a spurious association. Future studies should take the timing of data collection relative to the timing of loss into consideration.

Project description:BackgroundIn South Africa, access to second-trimester abortion services, which are generally performed using medical induction with misoprostol alone, is challenging for many women. We aimed to estimate the costs and cost effectiveness of providing three safe second-trimester abortion services (dilation and evacuation (D&E)), medical induction with mifepristone and misoprostol (MI-combined), or medical induction with misoprostol alone (MI-misoprostol)) in Western Cape Province, South Africa to aid policymakers with planning for service provision in South Africa and similar settings.MethodsWe derived clinical outcomes data for this economic evaluation from two previously conducted clinical studies. In 2013-2014, we collected cost data from three public hospitals where the studies took place. We collected cost data from the health service perspective through micro-costing activities, including discussions with site staff. We used decision tree analysis to estimate average costs per patient interaction (e.g. first visit, procedure visit, etc.), the total average cost per procedure, and cost-effectiveness in terms of the cost per complete abortion. We discounted equipment costs at 3%, and present the results in 2015 US dollars.ResultsD&E services were the least costly and the most cost-effective at $91.17 per complete abortion. MI-combined was also less costly and more cost-effective (at $298.03 per complete abortion) than MI-misoprostol (at $375.31 per complete abortion), in part due to a shortened inpatient stay. However, an overlap in the plausible cost ranges for the two medical procedures suggests that the two may have equivalent costs in some circumstances.ConclusionD&E was most cost-effective in this analysis. However, due to resistance from health care providers and other barriers, these services are not widely available and scale-up is challenging. Given South Africa's reliance on medical induction, switching to the combined regimen could result in greater access to second-trimester services due to shorter inpatient stays without increasing costs.

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Medical versus surgical treatment of first trimester spontaneous abortion: A cost-minimization analysis.

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Medical versus surgical treatment of first trimester spontaneous abortion: A cost-minimization analysis.

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