Criminal Aborted Patients at Phetchabun Hospital - ผู้ป่วยทำแท้งผิดกฎหมายที่มารับการรักษาที่โรงพยาบาลเพชรบูรณ์

Abstract

               The objective of this retrospective descriptive study was to determine epidemiology, clinical manifestation, management and complications of  criminal aborted patients at Phetchabun hospital. It included 650 criminal aborted patients admitted at the gynaecological ward, Phetchabun hospital from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2006. Data were collected from criminal aborted patientsี register book and medical records including age, occupation, marital status, gravidarum, gestational age, criminal aborted methods, treatments and complications. It was reported that half of the patients were students (51.08%) aged less than 20 years (48.92%) and single (from 33.09% in 2002 to 67.46% in 2006). Most of them were first gravidarum (66.15%) and gestational age less than 16 weeks (80.00%). The criminal abortion method was mostly inserted urinary catheter through vagina into uterine cavity (88%), causing infections (89.07%) severe complications (33.69%) and deaths (0.31%).

                The study showed that a lot of criminal aborted patients, treated at Phetchabun hospital, had infections, severe complications and deaths. Most of them were young students and, hence, portrays  public health and social problems requiring preventive and social interventions.

Key words:  criminal abortion, complications, infections