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A Comparison of Interventions in the Management of Heterotopic Pregnancy

Capstone
2020

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Description

Background: Heterotopic pregnancy is a statistically rare event with an incidence of 1:30,000 pregnancies, but with the increased implementation of assisted reproductive techniques, incidence is as high as 1:50. Treatment modalities for heterotopic pregnancy include potassium chloride injections or surgery, though variability in practice exists and definitive management has not yet been determined. Objective: To conduct a full review of the existing literature in order to determine the safest and most effective treatment method available for heterotopic pregnancy and establish standard of care recommendations for heterotopic pregnancy. Methods: A complete review of the literature pertaining to treatment of heterotopic pregnancy, including relevant case studies, was performed by searching all available abstracts through three databases: PubMed, Medline Complete, and ProQuest. Final selection of articles was dependent on full text review, adherence to inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as consensus among three individual researchers. In total, 19 articles were selected and analyzed according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute quality assessment tool. Resultant data from each article was stratified by treatment modality, efficacy, and post-delivery status of the neonate: seven exclusively explored surgical interventions, nine favored medical management, and three explored the benefits of both surgical and non-surgical treatment. Results: Database research produced 19 viable articles pertaining to surgical and potassium chloride treatment for heterotopic pregnancies. Combined, there were 244 procedures performed in total, 212 surgical procedures and 32 potassium chloride injections. Resultant miscarriages for surgery and potassium chloride were 31 and three respectively, accounting for a 14.62% rate of miscarriage in surgery and 9.38% for potassium chloride injections. Conclusion: A definitive treatment for heterotopic pregnancy remains elusive. While the rate of miscarriage was higher following surgery, the total number of potassium chloride injections recorded accounted for only 15% of the total number of interventions and often required subsequent surgical management. Furthermore, the myriad of different types of surgical procedures based on the location of ectopic creates considerable variability, whereas potassium chloride injections are largely homogeneous: though it was noted in one article that the expertise to perform the procedure may dictate outcomes. Due to the limited population size of existing research and the presence of multiple confounding variables, no definitive conclusion can be drawn to suggest one management option is superior to the other. Generally, hemodynamically unstable patients or those who desire definitive treatment should be managed surgically while patients who present hemodynamically stable may be managed medically depending on patient preference.
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Record Data:

Program:
Physician Assistant Studies
Location:
Knoxville
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