PFMT relevant strategies to prevent perineal trauma: a systematic review
and network meta-analysis
Abstract
Abstract Background Perineal trauma refers to damage to the genitalia
during the birthing process and can occur spontaneously or as a result
of an episiotomy or female genital mutilation (FGM). Objective To
perform a systematic review and network meta-analysis investigating the
effectiveness of different PFMT relevant strategies in the prevention of
perineal trauma. Search strategy PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library,
CINAHL, CNKI, CBM, WANFANG DATABASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov were
searched for citations published in any language from inception to 1
July 2021. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of
PFMT relevant prevention strategy to prevent perineal trauma in pregnant
women. Data collection and analysis Data were independently extracted by
two reviewers. Relative treatment effects were estimated using network
meta-analysis (NMA). Main results Of 12632 citations screened, 21 RCTs
were included. Comparing with usual care, “PFMT combine with perineal
massage” and PFMT alone showed more superiority in intact perineum
(RR=5.37, 95%CI: 3.79 to 7.60, moderate certainty; RR=2.58, 95%CI:
1.34 to 4.97, moderate certainty), episiotomy (RR=0.26, 95%CI: 0.14 to
0.49, very low certainty; RR=0.63, 95%CI: 0.45 to 0.90, very low
certainty), and OASIS (RR=0.35, 95%CI: 0.16 to 0.78, moderate
certainty; RR=0.49, 95%CI: 0.28 to 0.85, high certainty). “PFMT
combine with perineal massage” show superiority in reducing perineal
tear (RR=0.41, 95%CI: 0.20 to 0.85, moderate certainty). Conclusion In
this systematic review, the finding on the perineal trauma indicated
that “PFMT combine with perineal massage” and PFMT showed more
superiority to prevent perineal trauma.