Statistical analysis of first-trimester pregnancy terminations in an ambulatory surgical center

From June, 1973, to December, 1974, 12,219 women requested elective termination of pregnancy at the Concord Medical Center, a private outpatient clinic in Chicago, Illinois. Suction curettage with local anesthesia was performed for 10,890 of the women; the remaining 1,329 (10.9%) women were rejected for the following reasons: not pregnant, 1.9%; estimated duration of pregnancy over 12 weeks, 7.3% medical reasons, 1.6%; and other reasons, 0.1%. For the aborted patients, the immediate complication rate was 6.9 per 1,000. Complication rates were directly associated with length of gestation (whether determined on the basis of the patient-reported last menstrual period (LMP) or on the basis of the physical examination) and with the experience of the physicians. This study adds further evidence that first-trimester termination of pregnancy by suction curettage, with local anesthesia, in a nonhospital setting is a safe procedure when high medical standards are maintained.