A Double Blinded, Placebo-controlled Randomized Control Trial Comparing Intravenous Moderate Sedation and Oral/Sublingual Analgesia/Anxiolysis for First Trimester Surgical Abortions

Approximately 50% of pregnancies in the United States are unintended and about 50% of these end in an induced abortion. In 2000, approximately 1.31 million abortions were performed in the United States, approximately 88% of which were less than 12 weeks gestational age. There has been a movement toward performing elective abortions in the ambulatory care setting; however this can provide a dilemma in terms of the procedural anesthesia. In fact, general anesthesia for induced abortions has been associated with an increased incidence of complications and death.5

The paracervical block (PCB) alone has been shown to reduce pain from cervical dilation and tenaculum placement. Slower injection and greater volume have been associated with greater pain control, possibly related to an effect on tissue distension as well as to nerve blockade.6,7,8 However, women's perception of pain continues to be significant with PCB alone.

A majority of high-volume first trimester providers (abortion clinics) offer intravenous moderate sedation. However, many individual practitioners are limited in their ability to provide outpatient moderate sedation, and research has shown mixed results about its efficacy. There continues to be a dilemma in terms of what constitutes optimal anesthesia for first trimester abortions to maximize pain control and minimize side effects and duration of hospital/clinic stay for the patients. A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial of intravenous fentanyl (50-100 mcg) with local anesthesia versus placebo and local anesthesia alone in 368 participants found that fentanyl, when compared with placebo, reduced the pain of first trimester abortion by 1.0 point on an 11-point verbal numerical scale. The investigators concluded that this pain reduction was of questionable clinical significance and less than what study participants desired (2.0 points). Another randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study in 100 participants compared local anesthesia alone to local anesthesia with intravenous fentanyl (25mcg) and midazolam (2mg) for first trimester suction curettage. There was no statistically significant difference in pain scores between the groups. However, patients who received intravenous sedation reported increased satisfaction with their abortion procedure.11

There is some evidence of good pain control with oral and sublingual analgesia. Preliminary data from a study performed at the UCSF Mt. Zion Women's Options Clinic between 11/04 and 12/05 (Meckstroth H10873-25519) of 120 women undergoing first trimester abortions who received sublingual lorazepam, ibuprofen, and cervical block revealed that 84.5% of patients reported their pain as acceptable during the procedure with 4.8% considering their pain level unacceptable and 10.7% unsure.

Considering barriers to abortion access, developing an adequate medication regimen that does not require the monitoring and expense of moderate sedation could be very helpful in encouraging more providers to offer abortion. . Given that many patients pay directly for abortions, increasing the cost of services can be prohibitive for many women. Oral medications may also be more appealing to patients seeking sedation but who are fearful of needles. We hope to demonstrate that pain will be adequately controlled with sublingual lorazepam and oral ibuprofen- ideal medications for the clinic setting.