Abstract
BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of caesarean section (CS) is a global concern. Relaparotomy is needed when conservative managements are not effective in CS complications. This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the mortality rate and risk factors of relaparotomy after CS. METHODS: Based on a pre-registered protocol, we searched 11 databases. The MOOSE guideline was followed, and the reporting was in accordance with the PRISMA statement. A Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation was used to transform the raw data, and a random-effects meta-analytic model was applied. The quality of the evidence was evaluated by Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. RESULTS: The qualities of the pooled results were assessed to be "very low" based on the inclusion of observational studies. A total of 40 studies were retrieved. The mortality rate in patients after relaparotomy was 7.24% (95%CI 4.10-11.03%). Significant gap existed between high-resources and low-resources countries. In developed areas this rate was 0.56% and in places of low resources this rate was 16.90%. Higher CS rate correlated with higher mortality. Over 70% of the relaparotomies followed emergent CS. Risk factors associated with relaparotomy included higher maternal age, CS performed in the second stage of labor, twin pregnancy, preterm birth (OR 2.72, 95%CI 1.87-3.95) and preeclampsia (OR 3.24, 95%CI 1.47-7.14). CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated the high mortality rate in patients who had relaparotomy after CS. Interpretation of the results should be with caution due to GRADE evidence level. During a time when there is an imbalance in medical resources in different countries, interventions to reduce CS rate, good prenatal care and intensified post-operative management are important. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPEROCRD42021265325.