Abstract:Objective In cesarean section under subarachnoid block, infusion of crystalloids or colloids 10 to 30 minutes prior to the anesthesia or at the same time of anesthesia is effective for reducing the incidence of hypotension, nausea and vomiting during the surgery. However, whether crystalloids or colloids are better, the amount of the fluid administration, and the timing of infusion still remain controversial. Thus, we addressed these issues via systemic evaluation and meta-analysis, aiming to provide evidence for fluid infusion in these conditions.Methods The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Research Gate databases were searched against for relevant randomized controlled trials. The primary outcome was the number of patients developing hypotension during the surgery, while the incidence of nausea and vomiting was set as the secondary outcome. We applied the random effects model to analyze the data, and the results were presented as odds ratio (O^R) and 95% confidence interval (CI).Results Compared with the crystalloids, preload of the same amount of colloids could lower the incidence of intraoperative hypotension in pregnant women undergoing cesarean section under subarachnoid block [O^R = 0.40, (95% CI: 0.27, 0.59)]. Specifically, infusion of 500 ml colloids 10 to 30 minutes prior to the anesthesia or at the same time of anesthesia could reduce the incidence of hypotension during the surgery [O^R = 0.45, (95% CI: 0.31, 0.66)]. However, there was no significant difference in lowering the incidence of nausea and vomiting during the surgery [O^R = 0.72, (95% CI: 0.43, 1.19)], and both crystalloids and colloids could reduce the incidence of intraoperative nausea and vomiting.Conclusions The use of 500 ml colloids rather than crystalloids 10 to 30 minutes prior to the anesthesia or at the same time of anesthesia can lower the incidence of hypotension in pregnant women undergoing cesarean section under subarachnoid block.