The use of adjunctive mechanical dilation at the time of induction termination and adverse health outcomes: a systematic review.

Objective: This study aimed to assess if the use of mechanical dilation at the time of induction termination is associated with changes in the time from initiation of labor to expulsion of the fetus (induction-to-expulsion interval) and with the frequency of health complications when compared with medication management alone.

Data Sources: PubMed, CINAHAL, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were queried from January 2000 to May 2023.

Study Eligibility Criteria: We included randomized controlled trials of individuals who were assigned to undergo mechanical dilation (ie, laminaria, Dilapan-S, and intracervical Foley balloon catheter) in combination with the use of medication and compared it with the outcomes of medication use (eg, prostaglandins, antiprogestins, oxytocin) alone.