Conditions: Blood Loss Anesthesia
Keywords: Sevoflurane anesthesia abortion blood loss
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 160
Healthy volunteers: yes

Brief summary:
Sevoflurane is an FDA-approved anesthetic drug commonly used for anesthesia during second trimester abortion procedures. It has a few advantages, including ease of use by the anesthesia provider. However, the literature suggests that when used in doses higher than those used at Oregon Health \& Science University (OHSU) and Lovejoy, it is associated with an increase in the risk of bleeding. The investigators study aims to test whether the lower dose used at OHSU and Lovejoy during second trimester abortion procedures causes any difference in blood loss, when compared to similar abortion procedures for which this drug is not used.

Detailed description:
This study seeks to examine the bleeding complications associated with use of sevoflurane in general anesthesia regimens for second trimester abortion procedures and assess anesthesia providers' use and beliefs regarding possible risks associated with newer inhalational agents such as sevoflurane in this setting. Participants' anesthesia will either be intravenous (IV) propofol, IV midazolam, IV fentanyl and nitrous oxide or this same regimen combined with sevoflurane during maintenance of anesthesia. Procedural outcomes, specifically those related to bleeding complications, including need to intervene for excess blood loss, will be recorded and analyzed to establish if such a relationship between use of sevoflurane and excess blood loss exists.

Arms:
arm 1: Subject receives Sevoflurane in addition to other standard of care drug regimens for anesthesia with this procedure. arm 2: Subject receives standard of care drug regimens for anesthesia with this procedure.

Interventions: intervention 1: Sevoflurane intervention 2: No Sevoflurane
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Subject receives Sevoflurane in addition to other standard of care drug regimens for anesthesia with this procedure. intervention 2: Subject only standard of care drug regimens for anesthesia with this procedure.

Protocol document: