Medical Student Research Forum Posters

Second trimester abortion is associated with higherrates of complications compared to first trimesterabortion. Common complications for second trimester abortioninclude uterine perforation, uterine rupture andhemorrhage.

Standardized interventions for second trimestermedical terminations have not decreased rates ofpostoperative dilation and curettage (D&C) or othercomplications.

Little is known about the frequency or timing ofspecific complications during second trimestertermination of pregnancy.

Current standardized intervention at UC Davis fortermination of pregnancies 22 weeks gestational ageor more requires patients to be observed in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) for 8 hours post-operation.

This project aims to evaluate the timing and rates ofcomplications to determine the effectiveness as well aspossible revisions that can be made to the institutionalpostoperative monitoring after dilation and evacuationat 22 weeks gestational age (GA) or further at UC Davis.