gynecology and obstetrics
Septic Abortion
Introduction
Septic abortion is serious uterine infection during or shortly before or after a spontaneous or an induced abortion. Septic abortion is a gynecologic emergency. Septic abortions usually result from use of nonsterile techniques for uterine evacuation after induced or spontaneous abortion. Septic abortions are much more common after induced abortion done by untrained clinicians (or the pregnant woman herself) and without adequate surgical equipment and sterile preparation, usually because there are legal, health care access, or personal barriers to receiving professional medical care. Septic abortion could also result from an incomplete abortion that was secondarily infected due to an open cervical os. Typical causative organisms includeEscherichia coli,Enterobacter aerogenes,Proteus vulgaris, hemolytic streptococci, staphylococci, and some anaerobic organisms (eg,Clostridium perfringens). One or more organisms may be involved. 