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NSG210 Abortion Classification Diagrams

Two flowcharts for sorting the types of abortion: the first classifies abortion by cause and subtype, and the second sorts the spontaneous types by whether the cervix is open or closed. Covered in the September 23 OB lecture on complications of pregnancy (Durham Ch. 7, Exam 2). The mermaid diagrams render in Obsidian.

Source: raw/nsg210_wk05_AbortionDiagrams.md (diagrams moved out of raw/nsg210_wk05_ComplicationsInPregnancy.md). For the full terminology and the management table, see the Abortion Terminology section of nsg210-week-05-complications-in-pregnancy and the pregnancy loss section of nsg210-exam-2-outline-durham-ch07.

Classifying Abortion

flowchart TD
    A["ABORTION<br/>pregnancy ends before 20 weeks"] --> S["SPONTANEOUS<br/>(miscarriage)<br/>happens on its own"]
    A --> I["INDUCED<br/>ended on purpose by<br/>procedure or medication"]

    I --> E["ELECTIVE<br/>at the woman's request,<br/>not for health reasons"]
    I --> T["THERAPEUTIC<br/>serious maternal condition<br/>or fetal anomaly"]

    S --> TH["THREATENED<br/>light bleeding, cervix closed,<br/>pregnancy may continue"]
    S --> IN["INEVITABLE<br/>heavier bleeding, cervix open,<br/>loss cannot be stopped"]
    S --> INC["INCOMPLETE<br/>cervix open,<br/>some tissue retained"]
    S --> CO["COMPLETE<br/>all tissue passed,<br/>cervix closes"]
    S --> MI["MISSED<br/>fetus has died,<br/>cervix closed, tissue retained"]
    S --> SE["SEPTIC<br/>infected retained tissue,<br/>fever, foul discharge"]
    S --> RE["RECURRENT<br/>repeated consecutive losses"]

Sorting the Spontaneous Types by the Cervix

flowchart TD
    Q["Bleeding before 20 weeks:<br/>is the cervix open or closed?"] --> C["CERVIX CLOSED"]
    Q --> O["CERVIX OPEN"]

    C --> C1["Pregnancy still viable<br/>= THREATENED"]
    C --> C2["All tissue already passed<br/>= COMPLETE"]
    C --> C3["Fetus dead, tissue still inside<br/>= MISSED"]

    O --> O1["Nothing passed yet<br/>= INEVITABLE"]
    O --> O2["Some tissue passed, some retained<br/>= INCOMPLETE"]

Memory aid: only THREATENED can still continue; OPEN cervix means the loss is happening (inevitable or incomplete); a CLOSED cervix with a dead fetus is MISSED; a closed cervix after everything has passed is COMPLETE. Septic (infection) and recurrent (repeated losses) are added descriptions that can apply on top of the others.