ABSTRACT
PIP: This study evaluated the effectiveness of extraovular .1% ethacridine lactate alone and edacridine lactate plus spartein sulfate in midtrimester pregnancy termination. In the 60 cases where ethacridine lactate alone was administered, 50 cases aborted within 48 hours of instillation (83.3% success rate). Of these 50, 25 aborted within 24 hours (41.7%). Abortion was complete in 45 cases. The time of onset of uterine contractions ranged from 1 hour to 16.5 hours, with a mean 21-1/4 hours. The mean time of membrane rupture in the series was 23 hours and the induction-abortion interval averaged 27-1/4 hours. Side effects included vomiting (18.3%), shivering (16.6%), fever (3.3%), cervical injuries (6.6%), and excessive blood loss (1.7%). Blood loss until expulsion of the fetus averaged 54.1 ml, and blood loss up to 4 hours after abortion averaged 115.1 ml in cases of complete abortion and 219 ml in cases of incomplete abortion. In the 90 cases where both ethacridine lactate and spartein sulfate were used, 76 aborted within 48 hours (success rate 84.6%) and 40 aborted within 24 hours (44.4%). Abortion was complete in 75% of cases. The abortion-induction interval ranged from 4 hours to 47-3/4 hours, with a mean of 28-1/2 hours. These results, which are comparable to those obtained in other studies, indicate that extraovular ethacridine lactate alone appears to be a safe, efficient, and relatively inexpensive method of midtrimester abortion. Although there were fewer reports of side effects in the group that received spartein sulfate, use of this compound does not reduce the induction-abortion interval. The relatively low incidence of side effects such as vomiting and diarrhea, the antiseptic properties of ethacridine lactate, and the absence of serious complications such as rupture of the uterus and cervicovaginal fistula are advantages of the ethacridine lactate method that nullify the disadvantage of its slightly prolonged induction-abortion interval.^ieng
