AANA Journal: Remifentanil for External Cephalic Version: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis-Remifentanil for External Cephalic Version: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Remifentanil for External Cephalic Version: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Pdf Summary

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of remifentanil on external cephalic version (ECV) in breech presentation. The analysis included five randomized controlled trials involving 602 patients. The findings showed that remifentanil resulted in a moderate increase in ECV success rate and a large reduction in pain scores compared to placebo or control groups. There was also a lower incidence of transient fetal bradycardia in the remifentanil group. However, remifentanil did not significantly affect the rates of cesarean section, instrumental delivery, or spontaneous delivery. Mothers treated with remifentanil had higher patient satisfaction scores. The use of remifentanil for ECV may be a viable strategy to improve success rates and reduce pain, but the limitations of the included studies must be considered. Further research is needed to determine optimal dosing and potential adverse effects.

Keywords

systematic review

meta-analysis

remifentanil

external cephalic version

ECV

breech presentation

efficacy

randomized controlled trials

pain scores

fetal bradycardia