Death following D & C procedure: A case report

A 35-year old female died shortly after D&C (Dilatation & curettage) for Medical termination of pregnancy by a young doctor at a health centre in Manipur on 11/01/05, and her dead body was brought to the mortuary of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal for autopsy. On examination, about 2 litres of blood was present in the abdominal cavity and the cervix was found perforated with haematoma formation in the parametrium and surrounding area. D&C is a simple procedure and some of the complications of this procedure include haemorrhage, infection, perforation, shock, etc. However, the incidence of death following such a procedure is very minimal. Most of the time, death is averted by a timely intervention. Lack of experience, improper assessment of the patient's condition and avoidance of consultation with an experienced colleague could be some of the important contributing factors. Considering the uncommon occurrence of death following such a procedure, a case of death following D&C is presented in this paper.