Siddik 2000.

Study characteristics
Methods	RCT
Participants	40 women Inclusion criteria: non‐labouring ASA class I and II women scheduled for elective caesarean Exclusion criteria: obesity (> 115 kg), height > 152 cm, diabetes, pregnancy‐induced hypertension, chronic hypertension, heart disease, multiple gestation, breech presentation, age < 18 or > 40 and SBP < 100 mmHg Setting: Lebanon
Interventions	Colloid v crystalloid preload Group 1: HES 10%, 500 mL Group 2: Ringer's lactate 1000 mL Preload was administered 10 min before spinal anaesthesia; women were placed in left supine wedged position. All women received a standardised spinal anaesthetic technique and dose.
Outcomes	Maternal: hypotension; block height; ephedrine dose; heart rate; BP; nausea; vomiting Neonatal: Apgar scores; venous and arterial blood gases
Notes	Hypotension was defined as SBP < 80% baseline or < 100 mmHg
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Randomisation method not described
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	"Drawing shuffled sealed envelopes"
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Blinding: nurses placed a brown paper bag over the IV solution to conceal its identity from the anaesthetist
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	As above
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Losses to follow‐up not stated
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	Not apparent
Other bias	Unclear risk	Not apparent