Abstract
Artificial rupture of membranes (ARM), or amniotomy, is a frequently conducted technique for labor acceleration and dystocia prevention without adverse feto-maternal outcomes in women with spontaneous labor. However, in the literature, there has been controversy concerning the regular application of this technique. Therefore, the present systematic review was conducted to evaluate and compare the effect of ARM and spontaneous rupture of membrane (SRM) on feto-maternal outcomes. With the specified keywords, "spontaneous rupture of membrane," "artificial rupture of membrane," AND "active phase of labor" a literature search was conducted on ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and PubMed databases between 2019 and 2024 for the inculcation of appropriate studies. Based on the eligibility criteria, five studies were included. The results revealed that the duration of labor was significantly reduced in the women with ARM compared to SRM, without an increment of the risk of fetal or maternal adverse outcomes. Hence, ARM can be a safe and cost-effective intervention in certain clinical scenarios, but selective rather than routine implementation may offer more balanced outcomes in labor management.