Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on April 14, 2005
Human Reproduction 2005 20(7):2025-2028; doi:10.1093/humrep/deh892
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Intra-cervical versus i.v. fentanyl for abortion
1 Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Canada
2 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: 1013-750 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1H9, Canada. Email: ellenwiebe{at}telus.net
BACKGROUND: The majority of abortions are performed using a para-cervical block (without general anaesthesia) and involve a significant amount of pain. If fentanyl was given with the lidocaine in the para-cervical block, it potentially could improve pain control while decreasing side effects and avoiding i.v. access for women having abortions. METHODS: This was a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of two treatment arms: (i) para-cervical block with 100 µg of fentanyl i.v; or (ii) para-cervical block with 100 µg of fentanyl intra-cervically (i.c.) for first trimester abortion. The setting was a free-standing urban abortion clinic. The outcome measures were pain scores and side effects. RESULTS: A total of 104 women received the fentanyl i.v. and 98 received the fentanyl i.c. The two groups were similar with respect to age, gestational age, obstetric history, anxiety and depression. Pain scores (010) were 4.7 and 5.7 for dilation (P=0.01) and 3.8 and 5.6 for suctioning (P<0.001) in the i.v. and i.c. groups, respectively. Side effects were similar, but more women in the i.v. group received anti-emetics. More women in the i.c. group were dissatisfied with the pain control. CONCLUSION: I.v. fentanyl is more effective than i.c. fentanyl for pain control in abortion.
Key words: abortion/fentanyl/pain/paracervical block/randomized controlled trial