Complications of abdominal and vaginal hysterectomy among women of reproductive age in the United States. The Collaborative Review of Sterilization.

Although hysterectomy was the most frequently performed major surgical procedure among women of reproductive age during the past decade, few recent studies have been conducted to determine the risk of complications. We examined data from the Collaborative Review of Sterilization, a prospective, multicenter, observational study coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control, to assess the comparative risks of complications among women undergoing hysterectomy by the abdominal and vaginal approaches. Between September, 1978, and August, 1981, 1,851 women from nine institutions were included in the study. Women who underwent vaginal hysterectomy experienced significantly fewer complications than women who had undergone abdominal hysterectomy. The difference was probably attributable to the prevalence and efficacy of prophylactic antibiotic use among the former group. Vaginal hysterectomy was associated with more unintended major surgical procedures but less febrile morbidity, bleeding requiring transfusion, hospitalization, and convalescence than abdominal hysterectomy. Vaginal hysterectomy with prophylactic antibiotics should be strongly considered for those women of reproductive age for whom either surgical approach is clinically appropriate.

PIP: Although hysterectomy was the most frequently performed major surgical procedure among women of reproductive age during the past decade, few recent studies have been conducted to determine the risk of complications. We examined data from the Collaborative Review of Sterilization, a prospective, multicenter, observational study coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control, to assess the comparative risks of complications among women undergoing hysterectomy by the abdominal and vaginal approaches. Between September 1978-August 1981, 1851 women from 9 institutions were included in the study. Women who underwent vaginal hysterectomy experienced significantly fewer complications than women who had undergone abdominal hysterectomy. The difference was probably attributable to the prevalence and efficacy of prophylactic antibiotic use among the former group. Vaginal hysterectomy was associated with more unintended major surgical procedures but less febrile morbidity, bleeding requiring transfusion, hospitalization, and convalescence than abdominal hysterectomy. Vaginal hysterectomy with prophylactic antibiotics should be strongly considered for those reproductive age women for whom either surgical approach is clinically appropriate.

Hysterectomy among women of reproductive age. Trends in the United States, 1970-1978.

An estimated 3.5 million women aged 15 to 44 years in the United States underwent hysterectomy (excluding radical procedures) between 1970 and 1978. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics were used to study the influence of age, race, and geographic region on hysterectomy rates, surgical approach, and concurrent oophorectomy. The number and rate of hysterectomies increased between 1970 and 1972 but remained stable thereafter. Hysterectomy rates increased with age, and rates for black women slightly exceeded the rates for whites. Rates were consistently highest for women in the South and lowest for women in the Northeast. Women undergoing hysterectomy in the Northeast had the lowest percentage performed by a vaginal approach and the highest percentage performed in conjunction with bilateral oophorectomy. Women having a hysterectomy in the West had the highest percentage performed by a vaginal approach.

The declining length of hospitalization for tubal sterilization.

We analyzed factors affecting the length of hospital stay for tubal sterilization in 1970 and 1975, using data from the National Center for Health Statistic's Hospital Discharge Survey. The average hospital stay for tubal sterilization declined from 6.5 nights in 1970 to 4.0 nights in 1975. Pregnancy status, region of residence, and race were important determinants of the length of hospital stay. One technological innovation, the use of the laparoscope for tubal sterilization, accounted for 39% of the total length-of-stay reduction from 1970 to 1975. General changes in medical care from 1970 to 1975, combined with the introduction of laparoscopy, averted 1,363,000 nights of hospitalization for tubal sterilization in 1975. Conservatively, this resulted in a savings of more than $200 million. About $80 million of this savings was directly attributable to laparoscopy. Even greater savings could have been achieved if sterilization techniques requiring shorter hospital stays had been more widely used.

The epidemiology of influenza B in a rural setting in 1977.

An epidemic of influenza B began in January, 1977, in two rural parishes in northeastern Louisiana and quickly spread to involve 29% of their population with clinical influenza. This epidemic was investigated using a standard questionnaire and a random sample of 4.2% of the population. The clinical illness was typical of influenza, with predominant fever, cough, malaise and headache. Gastrointestinal symptoms were part of the clinical syndrome. Rhinitis and diarrhea were significantly more common in children aged five years or less. Clinical attack rates increased with larger household size. The youngest age groups had clinical attack rate of 40--55%, but the elderly had very low attack rates. The direct cost of influenza-like illness during the epidemic averaged almost $30.00 per case. Knowledge of the cost of influenza-like illness and age-specific attack rates should be useful in planning future control efforts for influenza B.