Prophylactic antibiotics for manual removal of retained placenta in vaginal birth

Background Retained placenta is a potentially life-threatening condition because of its association with postpartum haemorrhage. Manual removal of placenta increases the likelihood of bacterial contamination in the uterine cavity. Objectives To compare the effectiveness and side-effects of routine antibiotic use for manual removal of placenta in vaginal birth in women who received antibiotic prophylaxis and those who did not and to identify the appropriate regimen of antibiotic prophylaxis for this procedure. Search strategy We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group Trials Register (30 November 2005), CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library, Issue 4, 2005), MEDLINE (from 1966 to January 2005), EMBASE (from 1980 to January 2005), CINAHL (from 1982 to January 2005) and LILACS (from 1982 to January 2005). Selection criteria All randomized controlled trials comparing antibiotic prophylaxis and placebo or non antibiotic use to prevent endometritis after manual removal of placenta in vaginal birth. Data collection and analysis If eligible trials were to be identified, trial quality would be assessed and data would be extracted, unblinded by two review authors independently. Main results No studies that met the inclusion criteria were identified. Authors' conclusions There are no randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent endometritis after manual removal of placenta in vaginal birth.