Routine coagulation tests in cases of missed abortion--is it really necessary?
Many gynaecological units have a policy of performing routine coagulation tests in cases of missed abortion. For many years now, it has been accepted practice in our unit to perform routinely a platelet count, bleeding time (BT), clotting time (CT) and plasma fibrinogen (P. fib) level prior to evacuation in cases of missed abortion. We are not sure how or why these 4 tests came to be chosen as a coagulation 'screen'. As they are not totally adequate in detecting disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), we wondered if these tests added to the management in any way.
Chandran
R
R
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
Adeeb
N
N
D000030:Abortion, Missed / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D001780:Blood Coagulation Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004211:Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy