Résumé : This study was conducted between December 1995 and January 1996 in a public maternity ward of the city of Fortaleza, Brazil. An average of 200 women were admitted per month for the treatment of incomplete abortion. During the 3 months preceding the study, an average of 20 cases of incomplete abortion per month had been treated via manual vacuum aspiration (MVA). Participation in this study was restricted to women with gestation not exceeding 12 weeks and without any major complications. The average hospital stay was 36.5 hours for patients treated via dilatation and curettage (D C) and 8.4 hours for patients undergoing MVA, representing a 77% reduction (p < 0.001). The average waiting period for performing D C was 10.1 hours vs. 3.6 hours for performing MVA, a 65% reduction (p < 0.001). The average time required for the surgical procedure of D C was 1.2 hours vs. 0.4 hours for MVA (p < 0.001). Women who were treated via MVA spent an average of 4.4 hours in the hospital during and after the procedure vs. 25.2 hours for D C, representing an 83% reduction (p < 0.001). The average cost of performing MVA, as compared to D C, was 14% higher (p < 0.001); however, when the expenditures for drugs, supplies, and materials were taken into account, using MVA represented a cost reduction of 66% (p < 0.001). There was an average cost reduction of 41% in treating patients via MVA compared to treating patients via D C (p < 0.001).
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