Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by study quality (unclear allocation concealment and blinding in two of the three trials) and by imprecise results (limited study size for each comparison).
A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 3 studies with a total of 1945 subjects. No serious complications were reported in the trials and no neonatal or maternal deaths occurred. The neonatal outcome was not statistically different between groups: Apgar score less than 7 at five minutes (RR 1.78, 95% CI 0.83 to 3.83; 3 studies, n=1945); umbilical artery pH less than 7.15 (RR 1.31, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.79; one study, n=1456); umbilical artery pH less than 7.16 (RR 1.23, 95% CI 0.39 to 3.92; one study, n=239); admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.07 to 1.67; 2 studies, n=489); and more than 48 hours hospitalisation (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.20; one study, n=1456). The pooled risk for instrumental delivery (including caesarean section, ventouse and forceps extraction) was not statistically significantly different (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.21; 3 studies, n=1945). Hyperstimulation was reported in 2 studies (n = 489), but there was no statistically significant difference between groups (RR 1.21, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.88).
Date of latest search: 20 June 2013
Primary/Secondary Keywords