Effects of an Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic (EPAC) on the Management of Spontaneous Abortions.

OBJECTIVE

Patients who experience spontaneous abortion often present to the emergency department (ED), which may restrict the physician's recommendations for and the patient's choice of therapy. With support provided by an early pregnancy assessment clinic (EPAC), expectant and medical management may become more feasible options for spontaneous abortion. This study aimed to compare the therapeutic choices before and after the establishment of an EPAC and hypothesized that the proportion of miscarriages treated expectantly or medically would increase.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study that compared patients presenting to the ED and the EPAC with spontaneous abortion. We excluded patients with hemodynamic instability, complete abortions, ectopic pregnancies, and molar pregnancies. The primary outcome was the initial chosen treatment. The retrospective chart review included demographics, type of spontaneous abortion and management, procedural dictations, ED notes, and EPAC clinic documentation. Secondary end points included wait times, repeat visits, and success rates for the initial treatment option.

RESULTS

We reviewed 103 ED and 92 EPAC patient records. Patients in the ED were 1.52 times more likely to choose surgery over expectant or medical management (P = 0.004). Patients in the ED were 1.41 times more likely to have surgery as their final treatment compared with patients in the EPAC (P = 0.006). There were no significant differences in length of stay, number of visits required, or adverse outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrates that an EPAC results in more patients choosing and successfully being treated by expectant or medical management for spontaneous abortion.