BACKGROUND:

Foetal anaemia is caused by a severe pregnancy complication, haemolytic disease of the foetus and newborn. Intrauterine transfusions (IUTs) are performed to treat foetal anaemia in alloimmunised pregnant women. If left untreated hydrops can develop thereby reducing the chance of survival. Survival rates have improved but the procedure is not without complications. Procedure-related complications can be associated with early gestational age, hence delaying IUT could improve outcomes. This review aims to determine the effectiveness and safety of IUTs by examining survival and mortality rates, procedure-related complications with associated foetal mortality and the influence of hydrops.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHOD:

A systematic review was conducted by searching keywords in four scientific databases from January 2000 to April 2022. A meta-analysis was performed with the OpenMeta-Analyst software using an arcsine transformed proportion with the binary random-effects model and maximum likelihood method.

RESULTS:

Fifteen studies were identified as eligible and used in the meta-analysis. The forest plots all showed statistically significant outcomes with heterogeneity of data. Results indicated a greater foetal survival rate with IUT to treat anaemic foetuses, a low foetal mortality rate, and low risk of procedure-related complications associated with foetal loss but a higher risk of foetal mortality when hydrops is present.

CONCLUSION:

The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis provide evidence that IUT is a safe and effective treatment for foetal anaemia in the absence of hydrops when experienced personnel perform the procedure to minimise the risk of procedure-related complications.