Pulmonary artery catheterization in cardiogenic shock: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Cardiogenic shock carries high morbidity and mortality. Pulmonary artery catheterization (PAC) allows invasive hemodynamic assessment and tailored therapy; however, evidence supporting this practice is sparse. Methods We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies and randomized controlled trials comparing PAC versus no PAC in cardiogenic shock. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, and grey literature. We screened references, abstracted data and evaluated risk of bias in duplicate. We pooled data using a random-effects model and evaluated the quality of evidence using GRADE. Outcomes of interest were mortality and length of stay (LOS). Results We identified 13 observational studies (1,982,047 patients) and no randomized controlled trials; 12 studies were at high risk of bias. When pooling adjusted results, PAC was associated with reduced mortality at hospital discharge (RR 0.64; 95% CI 0.50–0.82) and at longest available follow-up (RR 0.65; 95% CI 0.49–0.87). Unadjusted LOS was 5.0 days longer (95% CI 4.93–5.07) with PAC. Quality of evidence was very low for all outcomes. Conclusion Based on very low quality evidence, PAC use in patients with cardiogenic shock may be associated with lower mortality. The observed increase in hospital LOS may represent survivor bias or relate to more aggressive management with PAC. Overall, these results support consideration of PAC for hemodynamic assessment and tailored therapy in cardiogenic shock. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

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Were Traditional Chinese Medicine Injections Efficacious for Angina Pectoris? A Frequentist Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

10.21203/rs.3.rs-137394/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Guoying Gao ◽

Siu-wai Leung ◽

Yongliang Jia

Keyword(s):

Chinese Medicine ◽

Angina Pectoris ◽

Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Quality Of Evidence ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Grade Approach

Abstract Background: The efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine injections (TCMIs) for angina pectoris has never been well investigated for lacking quality assessment of evidence. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive and rigorous network meta-analysis and assess the quality of evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations and Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach to compare the efficacy of all TCMIs in treating angina pectoris.Methods: Following the protocol (reference: CRD42018117720), randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which compared one TCMI with another TCMI or conventional treatments on anginal outcome measures (i.e. symptomatic improvement, electrocardiography improvement, symptomatic recovery, and electrocardiography recovery) were included. The risk of bias among included RCTs was assessed with the revised Cochrane’s risk of bias tool 2. Frequentist statistical analyses including subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, meta-regression and publication bias analysis were performed. The certainty of evidence was assessed with the GRADE approach.Results: Totally, 475 RCTs including all 24 TCMIs were identified, while the quality of all but two included RCTs was poor. According to the network meta-analysis, Honghua (Safflower) injection were preferable both in improving symptoms and electrocardiography. However, significant inconsistency showed the intransitivity among indirect comparisons, results in network meta-analysis seemed thus not trustworthy. The quality of evidence was assessed as low or very low.Conclusions: The low-quality evidence reduced the confidence in the efficacious results. Current evidence hardly supports the beneficial effects of TCMIs in treating angina pectoris.

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Skeletal and dental effects of surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

European Journal of Orthodontics ◽

10.1093/ejo/cjz057 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 (4) ◽

pp. 434-440 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Francesco Bortolotti ◽

Livia Solidoro ◽

Maria Lavinia Bartolucci ◽

Serena Incerti Parenti ◽

Corrado Paganelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Randomized Controlled Trials ◽

Methodological Quality ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Transverse Dimension ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Quality Of Evidence ◽

Randomized Controlled

Summary Background Surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) is a surgical technique developed to correct transverse discrepancies in skeletally mature patients. However, there is limited evidence concerning the immediate skeletal and dental changes obtained only due to SARME. Objective The aim of the present systematic review is to investigate the immediate skeletal and dental effects of SARME in adult patients with transverse maxillary hypoplasia. Search Methods An electronic search of the literature in MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, Lilacs and Scopus databases was performed. Selection Criteria Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studies investigating the skeletal and dental effects of SARME procedures in adult patients were included. Data Collection and Analysis The included studies received a methodological quality scoring according to the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. The quality of evidence was assessed by means of the Grading Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. For each included study and for each analysed parameter, the difference in means and 95 per cent confidence interval was calculated between baseline and immediate post-expansion. A meta-analysis of original outcome data, if possible, was conducted. Results Nine articles were selected. The methodological quality ratings indicated that one study was at low risk of bias, seven presented some concerns and only one was at high risk of bias. In all the included studies, the SARME procedure resulted in a significant expansion of the maxillary transverse dimension. The meta-analysis compared skeletal and dental inter-molar width before and after treatment: the mean difference was of 3.3 mm (2.8–3.9) and 7.0 mm (6.1–7.8), respectively (P-value less than 0.001). The quality of evidence was low-moderate. Conclusions SARME is effective in obtaining a significant expansion of the maxillary transverse dimension. However, the immediate SARME effect is mainly a molar expansion rather than a pure bone transverse widening of the maxilla. Registration The review protocol was registered at PROSPERO database with the registration number CRD42018117967.

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Duration of orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances in adolescents and adults: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Progress in Orthodontics ◽

10.1186/s40510-020-00334-4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Allen Abbing ◽

Vasiliki Koretsi ◽

Theodore Eliades ◽

Spyridon N. Papageorgiou

Keyword(s):

Treatment Duration ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Adult Patients ◽

Comprehensive Treatment ◽

Orthodontic Appliances ◽

Duration Of Treatment ◽

Quality Of Evidence ◽

Fixed Appliances

Abstract Objectives Adults with fixed orthodontic appliances are increasing nowadays. Compared with adolescents, adults present biological differences that might influence treatment duration. Therefore, the aim of the study was to compare duration of treatment with fixed appliances between adults and adolescents. Materials and methods Eight databases were searched up to September 2019 for randomized and non-randomized clinical studies comparing treatment duration with fixed appliances in adolescents and adult patients. After duplicate study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment with the Cochrane ROBINS-I tool, random effects meta-analyses of mean differences (MD) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were performed, followed by assessment of the quality of evidence with GRADE. Results A total of 11 unique studies (one prospective and 10 retrospective non-randomized) with 2969 adolescents and 1380 adult patients were finally included. Meta-analysis of 7 studies found no significant difference in the duration of comprehensive treatment with fixed appliances (MD = − 0.8 month; 95% CI = − 4.2 to 2.6 months; P = 0.65; I2 = 92%) between adults and adolescents. Similarly, both distalization of upper first molars with skeletal anchorage for class II correction and the retraction of canines into the premolar extraction spaces lasted similarly long among adults and adolescents. On the other hand, alignment of palatally displaced canines lasted considerably longer in adults compared to adolescents (1 study; MD = 3.8 months; 95% CI = 1.4 to 6.2 months; P = 0.002). The quality of evidence for the meta-analysis was low due to the inclusion of non-randomized studies with considerable risk of bias. Conclusions While existing evidence does not indicate a difference in the overall duration of treatment with fixed appliances between adults and adolescents, the alignment of palatally displaced canines lasted significantly longer in adults. However, our confidence in these estimates is low due to the risk of bias in the included studies. Trial registration PROSPERO: (CRD42019148169)

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Changing gloves during cesarean section for prevention of postoperative infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-84259-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Siwanon Rattanakanokchai ◽

Nuntasiri Eamudomkarn ◽

Nampet Jampathong ◽

Bao-Yen Luong-Thanh ◽

Chumnan Kietpeerakool

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Cesarean Section ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Postoperative Infections ◽

Quality Of Evidence ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Incisional Surgical Site Infection ◽

Grade Approach ◽

Febrile Morbidity

AbstractThis systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess associations between changing gloves during cesarean section (CS) and postoperative infection. A literature search was conducted using the major electronic databases MEDLINE, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL, and CENTRAL from their inception to September 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing glove change during CS to no glove change were included. Outcomes of interest were endometritis, febrile morbidity, and incisional surgical site infection (SSI). GRADE approach was applied to assess the quality of evidence. Ten reports of six studies involving 1707 participants were included in the analyses. Glove change was associated with a reduction in the risk of incisional SSI following CS (pooled RR 0.49, 95% CI 0.30, 0.78; moderate quality of evidence). Compared to no glove change, glove change during CS did not reduce the risks of endometritis (pooled RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.80, 1.24; low quality of evidence) or febrile morbidity (pooled RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.43, 1.71; very low quality of evidence). Changing gloves during CS was associated with a decreased risk of incisional SSI. The risks of postoperative endometritis and febrile morbidity were not altered by changing gloves.

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Outpatient total hip arthroplasty does not increase complications and readmissions: a meta-analysis

Hip International ◽

10.1177/1120700020948797 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 112070002094879

Author(s):

Vittorio Bordoni ◽

Niccolò Marelli ◽

Davide Previtali ◽

Paolo Gaffurini ◽

Giuseppe Filardo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Total Hip Arthroplasty ◽

Hip Arthroplasty ◽

Complication Rate ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Moderate Risk ◽

Readmission Rates ◽

Quality Of Evidence ◽

Total Hip

Background: There is no consensus about the safety of outpatient total hip arthroplasty (THA). Therefore, the purpose of this meta-analysis was to quantitatively evaluate and compare outpatient and inpatient THA studies in terms of complication and readmission rates. Methods: A systematic search of the literature was performed on 26 July 2019 on PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane library, and on the grey literature databases. The papers thus collected were used for a meta-analysis comparing outpatient and inpatient THA in terms of complication and readmission rates. Risk of bias and quality of evidence were defined according to Cochrane guidelines. The PRISMA guidelines were used to determine which papers to include in this study. Results: The literature search resulted in 2317 articles; of these, 8 articles were used for the meta-analysis. A total of 66,971 patients were included, of which 1428 were THA outpatients. The overall complication rate for outpatient THAs was 3.0%, while inpatient THAs had an overall complication rate of 4.7%. The readmission rate was 1.4% in outpatient THAs and 3.0% in inpatient THAs. Only 6 studies reported the number of deaths, which ranged from 0% to 0.01%. The included studies present a moderate risk of bias and, according to GRADE guidelines, the level of evidence for complications and readmissions is very low. Conclusions: This meta-analysis documented that outpatient THA is a feasible approach since it does not increase complications or readmissions with respect to inpatient THA, but the available studies present a moderate risk of bias and the quality of evidence of these findings is very low. Future high-level studies are needed to confirm results and indications for outpatient THA.

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Traction Therapy for Cervical Radicular Syndrome is Statistically Significant but not Clinically Relevant for Pain Relief. A Systematic Literature Review with Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm9113389 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 3389

Author(s):

Claudio Colombo ◽

Stefano Salvioli ◽

Silvia Gianola ◽

Greta Castellini ◽

Marco Testa

Keyword(s):

Sequential Analysis ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Treatment Modalities ◽

Trial Sequential Analysis ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Cochrane Central Register ◽

Quality Of Evidence ◽

Radicular Syndrome

Aim: We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of traction therapy in reducing pain by performing a systematic review with meta-analysis. We also explore the best modality for administering traction to patients with cervical radicular syndrome (CRS). Methods: We searched the Medline, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) electronic databases. Two reviewers independently selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared traction in addition to other treatments versus the effectiveness of other treatments alone for pain outcome. We calculated the mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We used Cochrane’s tool to assess risk of bias and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system to evaluate the quality of evidence and summarize the study conclusions. Results: A total of seven studies (589 patients), one with low risk of bias, were evaluated. An overall estimate of treatment modalities showed low evidence that adding traction to other treatments is statistically significant (MD −5.93 [95% CI, −11.81 to −0.04] P = 0.05 and I2 = 57%) compared to other treatments alone. The subgroup analyses were still statistically significant only for mechanical and continuous modalities. Conclusions: Overall analysis showed that, compared to controls, reduction in pain intensity after traction therapy was achieved in patients with cervical radiculopathy. However, the quality of evidence was generally low and none of these effects were clinically meaningful.

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Efficacy and Safety of Fuzi Formulae on the Treatment of Heart Failure as Complementary Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of High-Quality Randomized Controlled Trials

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2019/9728957 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-21

Author(s):

Meng-Qi Yang ◽

Yong-Mei Song ◽

Huan-Yu Gao ◽

Yi-Tao Xue

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Randomized Controlled Trials ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

High Quality ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Link Type

Objective. Heart failure is a major public health problem worldwide nowadays. However, the morbidity, mortality, and awareness of heart failure are not satisfied as well as the status of current treatments. According to the standard treatment for chronic heart failure (CHFST), Fuzi (the seminal root of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx.) formulae are widely used as a complementary treatment for heart failure in clinical practice for a long time. We are aiming to assess the efficacy and safety of Fuzi formulae (FZF) on the treatment of heart failure according to high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods. RCTs in PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP), and Wanfang Database were searched from their inception until June 2019. In addition, the U.S. National Library of Medicine (clinicaltrials.gov) and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (http://www.chictr.org.cn) were also searched. We included RCTs that test the efficacy and safety of FZF for the treatment of heart failure, compared with placebo, CHFST, or placebo plus CHFST. The methodological quality of included studies were evaluated by the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias. RCTs with Cochrane risk of bias (RoB) score ≥4 were included in the analysis. The meta-analysis was conducted through RevMan 5.2 software. The GRADE approach was used to assess the quality of the evidence. Results. Twelve RCTs with 1490 participants were identified. The studies investigated the efficacy and safety of FZF, such as FZF plus the CHFST vs placebo plus CHFST (n = 4), FZF plus CHFST vs CHFST (n = 6), FZF plus digoxin tablets (DT) plus CHFST vs placebo plus DT plus CHFST (n = 1), and FZF plus placebo plus CHFST vs placebo plus DT plus CHFST (n = 1). Meta-analysis indicated that FZF have additional benefits based on the CHFST in reducing plasma NT-proBNP level, MLHFQ scores, Lee’s heart failure scores (LHFs), and composite cardiac events (CCEs). Meanwhile, it also improved the efficacy on TCM symptoms (TCMs), NYHA functional classification (NYHAfc), 6MWD, and LVEF. Adverse events were reported in 6 out of 12 studies without significant statistical difference. However, after assessing the strength of evidence, it was found that only the quality of evidence for CCEs was high, and the others were either moderate or low or very low. So we could not draw confirmative conclusions on its additional benefits except CCEs. Further clinical trials should be well designed to avoid the issues that were identified in this study. Conclusion. The efficacy and additional benefits of FZF for CCEs were certain according to the high-quality evidence assessed through GRADE. However, the efficacy and additional benefits for the other outcomes were uncertain judging from current studies. In addition, the safety assessment has a great room for improvement. Thus, further research studies are needed to find more convincing proofs.

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Dietary factors and diabetes-related health outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027298 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. e027298

Author(s):

Janett Barbaresko ◽

Manuela Neuenschwander ◽

Lukas Schwingshackl ◽

Sabrina Schlesinger

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Dietary Factors ◽

Dietary Behaviour ◽

Health Concern

IntroductionType 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major health concern associated with several comorbidities such as diabetic chronic kidney disease, neuropathy and cardiovascular diseases. Many of these complications may be preventable by an adequate lifestyle, including a favourable dietary behaviour, additionally to pharmacological management. In general, dietary guidelines for patients with diabetes recommend a hypocaloric diet to achieve a normal weight, but there is a lack of detailed instructions on specific nutrients and foods to prevent diabetes-related outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarise the available evidence on the association between dietary factors and health-related outcomes in patients with T2D.Methods and analysisA systematic literature search will be conducted in PubMed and Web of Science in May 2019 to identify prospective observational studies investigating dietary factors in association with major complications in patients with T2D. We will include studies investigating dietary patterns, food groups, foods, macronutrients and micronutrients as well as secondary plant compounds. As diabetes-related outcomes, we will include macrovascular (cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases) and microvascular outcomes (nephropathy, neuropathy and retinopathy), as well as cancer, quality of life, depression, cognitive disorders and mortality. We will conduct dose-response meta-analyses using random effects models. We will investigate heterogeneity across studies and publication bias. To assess the risk of bias and quality of the included studies, we will use the Cochrane risk of bias tool ROBINS-I and the quality of evidence will be assessed using Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation.Ethics and disseminationAs the systematic review is based on published studies, ethical considerations are not required. The systematic review and meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed Journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018110669

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A brief introduction to propensity score for anesthesiologists

Korean Journal of Anesthesiology ◽

10.4097/kja.20016 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 73 (4) ◽

pp. 296-301 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alessandro De Cassai ◽

Giulio Andreatta ◽

Annalisa Boscolo ◽

Marina Munari ◽

Paolo Navalesi

Keyword(s):

Propensity Score ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Retrospective Studies ◽

Statistical Technique ◽

Quality Of Evidence ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Balanced Distribution ◽

Different Characteristics ◽

Randomization Process

Intergroup comparability is of paramount importance in clinical research since it is impossible to draw conclusions on a treatment if populations with different characteristics are compared. While an adequate randomization process in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) ensures a balanced distribution of subjects between groups, the distribution in observational prospective and retrospective studies may be influenced by many confounders.<br/>Propensity score (PS) is a statistical technique that was developed more than 30 years ago with the purpose of estimating the probability to be assigned to a group. Once evaluated, the PS could be used to adjust and balance the groups using different methods such as matching, stratification, covariate adjustment, and weighting. The validity of PS is strictly related to the confounders used in the model, and confounders that are either not identified or not available will produce biases in the results. RCTs will therefore continue to provide the highest quality of evidence, but PS allows fine adjustments on otherwise unbalanced groups, which will increase the strength and quality of observational studies.

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The Effects of Ascorbic Acid Over Sepsis: Meta-analysis With Trial Sequential Analysis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-95522/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ying Wang ◽

Hui-chang Zhuo ◽

Jiandong Lin

Keyword(s):

Odds Ratio ◽

Sequential Analysis ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Trial Sequential Analysis ◽

Random Errors ◽

Quality Of Evidence ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Registration Number ◽

Summary Odds Ratio

Abstract Background: This meta-analysis is performed to evaluate the effects of AA on the mortality over sepsis patients, focusing on the courses and initiation of treatment as well as AA doses.Methods: Randomized controlled trials concerning sepsis patients treated with intravenous AA were included when searching the database. The meta-analysis was performed using the random (M-H heterogeneity) model to produce summary odds ratio with 95% CI. Trial sequential analysis was applied to evaluated the effect of random errors.Results: The included 12 trials enrolled a total of 1232 patients. Intravenously administration of AA could not lower 28-day mortality over sepsis patients (OR = 0.81; 95% CI (0.54-1.23); p = 0.326). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that when administrating AA alone, in a dose ≥ 10 g/d, or within 6 h of admission, the result may turn to positive (OR = 0.36; 95% CI (0.15-0.86); p = 0.020, OR = 0.50; 95% CI (0.27-0.92); p = 0.025, OR = 0.49; 95% CI (0.27-0.89); p = 0.019, relatively). The quality of evidence is moderate.Conclusion: IV AA may have no effects to lower mortality over sepsis patients. However, when administrating AA alone, in a dose ≥ 10 g/d, or within 6 h of admission, the result may turn to positive. Due to a moderate GRADE certainty of evidence, further studies are required to fully elaborate the effectiveness of AA during the management of the sepsis patients.PROSPERO registration number: CRD 42020170825. 24 Feb, 2020 retrospectively registered.

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