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Ectopic Pregnancy

OVERVIEW

Ectopic pregnancy = fertilized ovum which implants outside the lining of the uterus

RISK FACTORS

  • history of T/L
  • history of ectopic pregnancy
  • previous tubal infection
  • Fallopian and endometrial anomalies
  • fertility treatment
  • endometriosis
  • IUCD’s

CLINICAL FEATURES

History

  • PV bleeding
  • abdominal/pelvic pain
  • 6-8 weeks LMP
  • shoulder tip pain (large amount of bleeding)
  • lightheaded
  • postural symptoms

Examination

  • adnexal tenderness and masses
  • state of cervix and material passing through it
  • fetal heart (almost never heard in ectopic)

INVESTIGATIONS

  • beta-HCG (should almost double every 2 days)
  • bloods to rule out other causes of abdominal pain
  • Rh status
  • MSU
  • TV U/S

-> if bHCG is > 1200 and there is no intrauterine pregnancy = probable ectopic

TREATMENT

Surgery

  • unstable
  • large
  • peritonitis

Methotrexate

  • no peritonitis
  • < 3.5cm
  • no free fluid on USS
  • ability to closely monitor as an outpatient

CCC 700 6

Critical Care

Compendium

Chris is an Intensivist and ECMO specialist at the Alfred ICU in Melbourne. He is also a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University. He is a co-founder of the Australia and New Zealand Clinician Educator Network (ANZCEN) and is the Lead for the ANZCEN Clinician Educator Incubator programme. He is on the Board of Directors for the Intensive Care Foundation and is a First Part Examiner for the College of Intensive Care Medicine. He is an internationally recognised Clinician Educator with a passion for helping clinicians learn and for improving the clinical performance of individuals and collectives.

After finishing his medical degree at the University of Auckland, he continued post-graduate training in New Zealand as well as Australia’s Northern Territory, Perth and Melbourne. He has completed fellowship training in both intensive care medicine and emergency medicine, as well as post-graduate training in biochemistry, clinical toxicology, clinical epidemiology, and health professional education.

He is actively involved in in using translational simulation to improve patient care and the design of processes and systems at Alfred Health. He coordinates the Alfred ICU’s education and simulation programmes and runs the unit’s education website, INTENSIVE.  He created the ‘Critically Ill Airway’ course and teaches on numerous courses around the world. He is one of the founders of the FOAM movement (Free Open-Access Medical education) and is co-creator of litfl.com, the RAGE podcast, the Resuscitology course, and the SMACC conference.

His one great achievement is being the father of three amazing children.

On Twitter, he is @precordialthump.

| INTENSIVE | RAGE | Resuscitology | SMACC

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