Safety of deep sedation without intubation during surgical abortion in the independent clinic setting

To establish the safety of deep sedation without intubation delivered by a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) in an independent outpatient abortion setting.

We performed a review of clinic Quality and Patient Safety Reports, a daily-maintained report of complications at time of all dilation and curettage (D&C) and dilation and evacuation (D&E) procedures performed at an independently operated, urban, high-volume abortion clinic between March 2013 and August 2017. The clinic provided procedures through 23 weeks 6 days gestation to women at low risk for medical or surgical complications, referring high-risk procedures to a nearby hospital. A CRNA provided anesthesia for all deep sedation procedures. We extracted information on gestational age, risk factors, and clinical course for all patients who experienced any anesthesia-related complication.

During the study period, the clinic evaluated 10,297 women for surgical abortion, referring 292 high-risk cases and performing 10,005 procedures (9004 D&C and 1001 D&E), most (9405 [94%]) with deep sedation. We documented six anesthesia-related complications; three (0.03%) in D&C procedures (laryngospasm not requiring intubation [n = 2] and respiratory stridor) and three (0.30%) in D&E procedures (laryngospasm requiring intubation, seizure, and hypotension/bradycardia). Only one patient (0.01%) required intubation.

Anesthesia-related complications in the setting of deep sedation without intubation during surgical abortion were exceedingly rare, supporting the safety of this form of anesthesia for low-risk patients in an independent community clinic setting.

Independent community clinics, where the majority of abortion procedures are performed within the U.S., can provide safe anesthesia care using deep sedation provided by CRNA professionals. This care delivery model, which includes triaging patient eligibility, reassuringly provides anesthesia as safely as other greater resourced care delivery settings.