Ectopic Pregnancy – A Five Year Review at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation
Introduction
Background: The approximate rate of ectopic pregnancy (EP) is 1 to 2 % per1000deliveries. An EP can become a life-threatening condition, and itcan alsothreaten the fertility of a woman. EPs can be managedexpectantly, medically or surgically, with the surgical method beingthe most widelyperformed in developing countries.
Objectives
Objective: To estimate the prevalence of EP over five years, along withthemanagement and subsequent reproductive outcomes.
Method
Methods : A retrospective, cross-sectional study involving a chart review ofallpatients diagnosed with an EP from January 2017 to December 2021atGeorgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), followed by a follow-up survey to evaluate the reproductive outcome after. The levelofsignificance was calculated as a p-value of <0.05.
Results
Results: 258 cases were selected to be analyzed. The overall rate of EP forfive years was 0.9%. 96.5% of the cases had surgicalintervention done. Only 24.0% (n=62) of the patients were successfullycontacted for thefollow-up survey. 33.9% (n=21) became pregnant after,with three ofthese cases having a repeat EP within the study periodand 4 having arepeat EP after the study period. From 2017 to 2023 (7 years), of 62 cases, 7 recurred, giving an11.3%recurrence rate of EP at GPHC. One of the repeat EPs was afteranintrauterine pregnancy (IUP). The rate of IUP after was 71.4%(n=15),and one of these patients had a repeat EP after.
Conclusion
Conclusion: The prevalence of EP was 0.9% over the five years. Most caseswereruptured, and 96.5% were managed surgically. The recurrence rateof EPover seven years was 11.3%.
Recommendations
Recommendations : EP should be part of the differential diagnosis for every womanofreproductive age who presents with pelvic or abdominal symptoms,androutine pregnancy tests should be ordered.