Potassium chloride intracardiac fetal injection and tissue degeneration at fetal autopsy following induction abortion.

Objectives: To assess the impact of potassium chloride intracardiac injection (KCl) on tissue degeneration at fetal autopsy, which may help inform termination care and autopsy expectations.

Study design: In this retrospective cohort of induction abortions with fetal autopsies (N = 266), we estimated the association between KCl and fetal tissue degeneration (qualitative assessment and quantitative ratio of basophilia:eosinophilia). We used log binomal and linear regression to calculate risk ratios and mean differences with 95% confidence intervals.

Results: Those who received KCl were more likely to have qualitative tissue degeneration than those who did not (RR 2.8 [95% CI 1.3-6.1]). Quantitative basophilia:eosinophilia ratios were lower among those with KCl (mean difference in cardiac tissues of -0.031 [95% CI -0.039 to -0.023]), which further supports increased tissue degeneration in these cases.

Conclusions: Fetal autopsies from induction abortions that had KCl fetal injection had increased risk of tissue degeneration compared with those that did not.