Lubricant for Reducing Perineal Trauma: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background Different techniques have been reported to prevent perineal lacerations, but the effects of the use of lubricant have been unclear and is still subject of debate. Objective To assess the effect of lubricants on reducing perineal trauma during vaginal delivery. Search strategy PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), WanFang databases, ClinicalTrials.gov in 25 June 2021. Selection criteria Randomized controlled trials published in English or Chinese that compared the vaginal application of lubricant with standard care in women with cephalic presentation at vaginal delivery were included . Data collection and analysis Two independent reviewers selected eligible trials and extracted data on perineal trauma, duration of the second-stage labor, postpartum hemorrhage and Apgar score for meta-analysis. Main results Nineteen trials enrolling 5445 pregnant women were included. Compared with standard care, women using lubricants had a lower incidence of perineal trauma (RR 0.84, 95%CI 0.76 to 0.93), second-degree perineal laceration (RR 0.72, 95%CI 0.64 to 0.82) and episiotomy (RR 0.77, 95%CI 0.62 to 0.96), had a shorter duration of the second-stage labor (MD -13.72 minutes, 95%CI -22.68 to -4.77). Subgroup analysis indicated that women with obstetric gel had a shorter duration of the second-stage (MD -16.9 minutes, 95%CI -27.03 to -6.78 vs MD -8.38 minutes, 95%CI -11.11 to -5.65; P interaction=0.02) when compared with liquid wax. Conclusions Compared with standard care, lubricants could reduce the incidence of perineal trauma, especially second-degree perineal laceration, and shorten the duration of the second-stage labor.

Efeitos da massagem perineal durante o trabalho de parto

Durante o trabalho de parto o traumatismo do períneo é frequente. A massagem perineal é considerada uma técnica que promove a integridade do períneo. Como objetivo pretende-se identificar os efeitos da massagem perineal durante o trabalho de parto. Foi realizada uma revisão integrativa da literatura, com pesquisa a 18 de janeiro de 2021. Foram considerados artigos de estudos primários e revisões sistemáticas da literatura, publicados em Português, Inglês e Espanhol, disponíveis nas bases B-ON, PubMed e CINAHL, em texto integral e de livre acesso, no ano de 2016 a 2020. A questão de pesquisa “Quais os efeitos da massagem perineal durante o trabalho de parto?” teve por base o método de PI[C]OD. Aquando a pesquisa nas bases de dados com a expressão -“(injury) AND (massage) AND (perineum) AND (labor) obteve-se 53 artigos na Pubmed; já com a expressão – “( perineal trauma OR perineal injury OR perineal tear OR perineal laceration ) AND massage AND ( labor OR delivery ) obteve-se 278 artigos na B-on e 41 na Cinahl, ficando no total com 372 artigos. Após aplicação dos critérios de inclusão do tempo, língua e livre acesso ficaram 110 artigos. De seguida, considerou-se a repetição dos artigos ficando com 85 artigos. Após leitura do título e resumo foram selecionados 11 artigos. Foram assim encontrados 6 artigos agrupados em função do método de pesquisa. Dos resultados encontrados verificou-se que existem benefícios na utilização da massagem perineal durante o trabalho de parto. Conclui-se que a realização de massagem perineal durante o trabalho de parto reduz o número de lacerações no períneo, a necessidade de episiotomia, a duração do trabalho de parto, bem como, a dor após o parto. No entanto, é necessário realizar mais estudos.

Obstetric rectal laceration in the absence of an anal sphincter injury

Rectal laceration in the absence of concurrent anal sphincter injury at the time of parturition is not a frequently reported finding. This rarely encountered injury is also referred to as a buttonhole injury. It is a disruption of the vaginal and rectal tissue with resultant disruption of the anal epithelium in the setting of an intact external anal sphincter. A 30-year-old gravida 1 para 0 at 39 weeks presented for induction of labour due to chronic hypertension. During her labour course, she developed with superimposed preeclampsia with severe features and magnesium sulfate was initiated. She underwent a spontaneous vaginal delivery of an infant weighing 3840 g. Following delivery, stool was visualised in the vagina. A rectal examination revealed a rectovaginal defect separate from the second-degree perineal laceration, which extended proximally to the cervix. The anal sphincter was noted to be intact with good tone. Both defects were repaired, and she had an uncomplicated recovery.

Rectoperineal Fistula Presented 5 Months After Repair of Severe Obstetric Perineal Laceration: A Case Report

Introduction: Obstetric severe perineal laceration can frequently occur as a surgical site infection (SSI), which sometimes leads to rectovaginal fistula after repair. We encountered a rare case of a rectoperineal fistula 5 months after repair of a severe perineal laceration.Case presentation: The patient was a 39-year-old woman who underwent repair of a fourth-degree perineal laceration after vaginal delivery. Five months after primary repair, she presented with perineal swelling and pain followed by uncontrollable flatulence or passage of feces at the perineum, which was finally diagnosed as a rectoperineal fistula. Transperineal repair with fistulous tract excision was performed for the rectoperineal fistula. Closure of the rectum, perineal body, and vagina was performed layer-by-layer constructing a thick perineum to prevent anal dysfunction. The fistula was successfully closed, and the patient did not show any symptoms of fecal incontinence 6 months after surgery.Discussion: As the rectoperineal fistula might have resulted in SSI at the primary repair of the obstetric injury, the delayed occurrence of the rectoperineal fistula was unusual. A perineal approach should be performed for complete fistulous tract excision, reconstruction of a robust perineal structure, and preservation of anal sphincter function.