Hospital Admissions After Induced Abortion: Incidence and Patient Characteristics in the U.S.

Author Type(s)

Student, Faculty

Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

11-2023

DOI

10.1016/j.contraception.2023.110190

Journal Title

Contraception

Department

Surgery

Second Department

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Abstract

Objectives

We aimed to describe individuals hospitalized with an induced abortion code in the National Inpatient Survey (NIS) database and estimate the incidence of abortions requiring hospitalization in the US.

Methods

The Guttmacher Institute estimated over 11 million abortions took place in the US from 2005 to 2014. The NIS database captures a population-weighted sample of 20% of hospital admissions in the US. We included individuals with an “induced abortion” ICD-9 code in the NIS database (2005-2014). We captured patient demographics, comorbidities, hospital characteristics, cost and length of hospitalization. We report descriptive statistics as mean (SD), median (IQR), or number (%). We obtained IRB approval for this study.

Results

A total of 11,389 patients were identified. The mean number of patients hospitalized annually was 1,139 (338), highest in 2005 (1,719) and lowest in 2014 (758). Most admissions were emergencies (8,570, 75.2%) and two-thirds (7,458, 65.7%) were at urban teaching hospitals. The most common comorbidities were deficiency (1,004, 8.8%) and chronic blood loss (864, 7.6%) anemias. The median length of stay was one (1) day, and the mean cost was $11,896 ($12,968). Six (0.1%) individuals died during admission. Based on the NIS database’s population coverage, we estimate 57,780 (0.5%) individuals were hospitalized for an induced abortion from 2005 to 2014 in the US.

Conclusions

Of the estimated 11 million abortions in the US in this 10-year period, only 0.5% were associated with hospitalization. The few admissions that occurred were short but costly.

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