Effectiveness of intrapartum fetal surveillance to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Bassel Al Wattar holds a personal Academic Clinical Lectureship from the UK National Health Institute of Research. Khalid Khan is a Distinguished Investigator funded by the Beatriz Galindo (senior modality) Program Grant given to the University of Granada by the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities of the Spanish Government.BACKGROUND: Cesarean delivery is the most common surgical procedure worldwide. Intrapartum fetal surveillance is routinely offered to improve neonatal outcomes, but the effects of different methods on the risk of emergency cesarean deliveries remains uncertain. We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of different types of fetal surveillance. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Embase and CENTRAL until June 1, 2020, for randomized trials evaluating any intrapartum fetal surveillance method. We performed a network meta-analysis within a frequentist framework. We assessed the quality and network inconsistency of trials. We reported primarily on intrapartum emergency cesarean deliveries and other secondary maternal and neonatal outcomes using risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: We included 33 trials (118 863 patients) evaluating intermittent auscultation with Pinard stethoscope/handheld Doppler (IA), cardiotocography (CTG), computerized cardiotocography (cCTG), CTG with fetal scalp lactate (CTG-lactate), CTG with fetal scalp pH analysis (CTG-FBS), CTG with fetal pulse oximetry (FPO-CTG), CTG with fetal heart electrocardiogram (CTG-STAN) and their combinations. Intermittent auscultation reduced the risk of emergency cesarean deliveries compared with other types of surveillance (IA v. CTG: RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.72-0.97; IA v. CTG-FBS: RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.63-0.80; IA v.CTG-lactate: RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.64-0.92; IA v. FPO-CTG: RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.65-0.87; IA v.FPO-CTG-FBS: RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.67-0.99; cCTG-FBS v. IA: RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.04-1.42), except STAN-CTG-FBS (RR 1.17, 95% CI 0.98-1.40). There was a similar reduction observed for emergency cesarean deliveries for fetal distress. None of the evaluated methods was associated with a reduced risk of neonatal acidemia, neonatal unit admissions, Apgar scores or perinatal death. INTERPRETATION: Compared with other types of fetal surveillance, intermittent auscultation seems to reduce emergency cesarean deliveries in labour without increasing adverse neonatal and maternal outcomes.Beatriz Galindo (senior modality) Program Grant by Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities of the Spanish Governmen

Diminished ovarian reserve in recurrent pregnancy loss : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To evaluate the association between diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) in women at risk of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) using ovarian reserve tests. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Setting University medical schools. Patient(s) Women with a history of RPL. Intervention(s) Systematic reviews of major electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus) for studies that evaluated the incidence of DOR in women with RPL. Main Outcome Measure(s) Association between RPL and DOR. Result(s) In studies up to May 2019 we assessed quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and meta-analyzed data using a random-effect model. We included 15 studies (n = 3,082 women) reporting on six ovarian reserve tests: antimüllerian hormone [AMH], antral follicle count, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol, and FSH:LH ratio. More women with RPL seemed to have DOR compared with women who did not have RPL as measured by low AMH levels (odds ratio [OR] 2.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41–5.46) and AFC (OR 2.45; 95% CI, 1.16–5.19). Women with unexplained RPL also seemed to have a higher association with DOR compared with women whose RPL had a known etiology, as measured by low AMH levels (OR 3.23; 95% CI, 1.81–5.76). No statistically significant differences were found in the levels of any of the remaining ovarian reserve tests between those groups of women. Conclusion(s) There is an apparent association between DOR and RPL. Low AMH and AFC levels could predict higher odds for pregnancy loss, but more studies are needed to evaluate their prognostic value in the management of women with RPL