Purpose: to evaluate the clinical and therapeutic aspects of septic abortion, and to identify a group at high risk for complications. Methods: a retrospective study of 224 cases of patients with septic abortion was conducted. Age, parity, clinical and ultrasonographic diagnosis, and therapeutic data were collected from medical charts. The information about induced abortion was provided by the patients and/or their relatives and accompanying persons. Septic abortion was diagnosed based on clinical data, leukocyte count, adnexal and uterine pain, and purulent cervical discharge. Results: the average age of patients was 21.4 ± 6.2 years. Forty-five (20.1%) patients were 19 years old or less. Sixty-six (29.5%) were primiparous and 55 (24.5%) were secundiparous. In 143 (63.8%) women it was the first abortion. The most common clinical signs were hemorrhage (83.9%) and fever (61.1%). Of the total of patients, 37.9% declared that they had an induced abortion, 33.9% declared spontaneous abortion and 28.2% did not inform. Hysterectomies were performed in five cases. No hysterectomy was performed in the group with spontaneous abortion (2.2%), which had a reduced number of complications: (3.9% versus 11.8% in the group with induced abortion), p<0.05. Conclusion: septic abortion is a more serious problem in patients who declared induced abortion.
Septic abortion; Hysterectomy
