SynthesisBJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology2026
Revisiting the Value of Admission Cardiotocography in Term Pregnancies: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAdmission cardiotocography (CTG) remains widely used to assess the fetal condition at the onset of labour in low-risk pregnancies, despite international guidelines recommending against its routine use and advocating intermittent auscultation (IA) instead.
objectiveTo evaluate the effect of admission CTG compared with IA upon admission on maternal and neonatal outcomes in low-risk term pregnancies. SEARCH STRATEGY: PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to April 2025. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing admission CTG with IA in low-risk, term pregnancies with singleton fetuses. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias using RoB 2.0 from the Cochrane Library. Random-effects meta-analysis generated relative risks (RRs), and the quality of the evidence was evaluated using GRADE. MAIN
resultsFive RCTs (16 341 pregnant women) were included. Admission CTG was associated with significantly higher use of continuous electronic fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring (RR 1.23, 95% CI: 1.05-1.44, I
conclusionsRoutine admission CTG in low-risk term pregnancies demonstrated no improvement in maternal or neonatal outcomes. Previous concerns regarding increased caesarean delivery rates appear overstated. These findings support current recommendations favouring IA over routine admission CTG in low-risk pregnancies. Future research should focus on intermediate-risk populations, standardised implementation and clinically meaningful outcomes.
trial registrationPROSPERO registration number: CRD420251028693.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.