Vacuum aspiration, using pericervical block, for legal abortion as an outpatient procedure up to the 12th week of pregnancy

Abstract

The demand for legal abortion in Yugoslavia has increased. In the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Novi Sad, which serves a population of about 2 million, from 1967 to 1970 there were no deaths associated with 22,909 legal abortions. The majority of abortions (97·6%) were performed on outpatients using vacuum aspiration under pericervical block with an analgesic, antispasmodic, and oxytocic mixture. The advantages of this technique include simplicity, rapidity, small blood-loss, and safety (low incidence of immediate and early complications). © 1971, All rights reserved.