Is fresh frozen plasma clinically effective? A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Stanworth ◽  
S. J. Brunskill ◽  
C. J. Hyde ◽  
D. B. L. McClelland ◽  
M. F. Murphy
2012 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 716-728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony M.-H. Ho ◽  
Peter W. Dion ◽  
Janice H. H. Yeung ◽  
John B. Holcomb ◽  
Lester A. H. Critchley ◽  
...  

Observational studies on transfusion in trauma comparing high versus low plasma:erythrocyte ratio were prone to survivor bias because plasma administration typically started later than erythrocytes. Therefore, early deaths were categorized in the low plasma:erythrocyte group, whereas early survivors had a higher chance of receiving a higher ratio. When early deaths were excluded, however, a bias against higher ratio can be created. Survivor bias could be reduced by performing before-and-after studies or treating the plasma:erythrocyte ratio as a time-dependent covariate.We reviewed 26 studies on blood ratios in trauma. Fifteen of the studies were survivor bias-unlikely or biased against higher ratio; among them, 10 showed an association between higher ratio and improved survival, and five did not. Eleven studies that were judged survivor bias-prone favoring higher ratio suggested that a higher ratio was superior.Without randomized controlled trials controlling for survivor bias, the current available evidence supporting higher plasma:erythrocyte resuscitation is inconclusive.


2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (11) ◽  
pp. 847-857
Author(s):  
Chaturaka Rodrigo ◽  
Ariaranee Gnanathasan

Abstract Adjunct therapy in snakebite may be lifesaving if administered appropriately or can be harmful if non-judicious use leads to avoidable delays in administering antivenom. This systematic review analyses the evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the efficacy of adjunct treatment administered with antivenom. PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane library and CINAHL were searched for RCTs enrolling patients with snakebite envenoming where a treatment other than antivenom has been assessed for its efficacy within the last 25 y. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The interventions assessed were categorised as adjunct therapies (heparin or fresh frozen plasma) to reverse haemotoxicity (three studies), antibiotics to prevent local infections (three studies), steroids to reduce local swelling (one study), premedication (adrenaline, steroids and antihistamines, either alone or in combination) to reduce hypersensitivity reactions to antivenom (five studies) and other interventions (three studies). Apart from a beneficial effect of low-dose adrenaline (1:1000, 0.25 ml administered subcutaneously) in preventing antivenom-induced hypersensitivities (OR: 0.54, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.93, two RCTs, 354 participants, moderate certainty evidence) in Sri Lanka, evidence for any other adjunct therapy is either non-existent or needs confirmation by larger better designed trials.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joao Ricardo Nickenig Vissoci

BackgroundHarmful alcohol use leads to a large burden of disease and disability which disportionately impacts LMICs. The World Health Organization and the Lancet have issued calls for this burden to be addressed, but issues remain, primarily due to gaps in information. While a variety of interventions have been shown to be effective at reducing alcohol use in HICs, their efficacy in LMICs have yet to be assessed. This systematic review describes the current published literature on alcohol interventions in LMICs and conducts a meta analysis of clinical trials evaluating interventions to reduce alcohol use and harms in LMICs.MethodsIn accordance with PRISMA guidelines we searched the electronic databases Pubmed, EMBASE, Scopus,Web of Science, Cochrane, and Psych Info. Articles were eligible if they evaluated an intervention targeting alcohol-related harm in LMICs. After a reference and citation analysis, we conducted a quality assessment per PRISMA protocol. A meta-analysis was performed on the 39 randomized controlled trials that evaluated an alcohol-related outcome.ResultsOf the 3,801 articles from the literature search, 87 articles from 25 LMICs fit the eligibility and inclusion criteria. Of these studies, 39 randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. Nine of these studies focused specifically on medication, while the others focused on brief motivational intervention, brain stimulation, AUDIT-based brief interventions, WHO ASSIST-based interventions, group based education, basic screening and interventions, brief psychological or counseling, dyadic relapse prevention, group counseling, CBT, motivational + PTSD based interview, and health promotion/awareness. Conclusion Issues in determining feasible options specific to LMICs arise from unstandardized interventions, unequal geographic distribution of intervention implementation, and uncertain effectiveness over time. Current research shows that brain stimulation, psychotherapy, and brief motivational interviews have the potential to be effective in LMIC settings, but further feasibility testing and efforts to standardize results are necessary to accurately assess their effectiveness.


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