Mesenteric traction syndrome (MTS) is commonly seen during major abdominal surgery and is characterised by facial flushing, hypotension, and tachycardia 15 min into surgery.

MTS also impacts the postoperative course, as severe MTS has been associated with increased postoperative morbidity.

However, despite MTS being common and severe MTS causing increased postoperative morbidity, the gaps in the literature are not clearly defined.

We aimed to examine the diagnostic criteria, incidence, intraoperative and postoperative impact, and potential preventative measures of MTS while highlighting potential gaps in the literature.

We followed the Prisma guidelines and performed a systematic literature search. We included only human studies examining MTS.

All hits were screened for title and abstract, followed by a full-text review by at least two authors for determining eligibility for inclusion.

Data were extracted and risk of bias was assessed by two independent reviewers.