Compliance with follow-up in an inner-city population treated with intramuscular methotrexate for suspected ectopic pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate compliance with follow-up among inner-city patients with ectopic pregnancy treated with methotrexate, in addition to assessing outcome.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of all patients evaluated for first-trimester bleeding and diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy at the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center, New York, USA, from October 2007 to March 2011. Compliance and complications were evaluated for all patients who received medical treatment with methotrexate.

RESULTS

Ninety-nine patients with hemodynamically stable ectopic pregnancies were identified. Therapy with methotrexate was effective in 87 (87.9%) cases. Only 10 (10.1%) patients were fully compliant during follow-up after methotrexate administration. There were no differences according to ethnicity. Number of follow-up visits after treatment significantly affected compliance.

CONCLUSION

Improvements in selection criteria for therapy and simplification of follow-up for patients with medically managed ectopic pregnancy are required.