Shelley McLeod

Transfusion of fresher vs older red blood cells in hospitalized patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The impact of transfusing fresher vs older red blood cells (RBCs) on patient-important outcomes remains controversial. Two recently published large trials have provided new evidence. We summarized results of randomized trials evaluating the impact of the age of transfused RBCs. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane CENTRAL for randomized controlled trials enrolling patients who were transfused fresher vs older RBCs and reported outcomes of death, adverse events, and infection. Independently and in duplicate, reviewers determined eligibility, risk of bias, and abstracted data. We conducted random effects meta-analyses and rated certainty (quality or confidence) of evidence using the GRADE approach. Of 12 trials that enrolled 5229 participants, 6 compared fresher RBCs with older RBCs and 6 compared fresher RBCs with current standard practice. There was little or no impact of fresher vs older RBCs on mortality (relative risk [RR], 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94-1.14; P = .45; I(2) = 0%, moderate certainty evidence) or on adverse events (RR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.91-1.14; P = .74; I(2) = 0%, low certainty evidence). Fresher RBCs appeared to increase the risk of nosocomial infection (RR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.00-1.18; P = .04; I(2) = 0%, risk difference 4.3%, low certainty evidence). Current evidence provides moderate certainty that use of fresher RBCs does not influence mortality, and low certainty that it does not influence adverse events but could possibly increase infection rates. The existing evidence provides no support for changing practices toward fresher RBC transfusion.

Remote Ischemic Perconditioning to Reduce Reperfusion Injury During Acute ST‐Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Background Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is a noninvasive therapeutic strategy that uses brief cycles of blood pressure cuff inflation and deflation to protect the myocardium against ischemia–reperfusion injury. The objective of this systematic review was to determine the impact of RIC on myocardial salvage index, infarct size, and major adverse cardiovascular events when initiated before catheterization. Methods and Results Electronic searches of Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were conducted and reference lists were hand searched. Randomized controlled trials comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with and without RIC for patients with ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction were included. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts, assessed quality of the studies, and extracted data. Data were pooled using random‐effects models and reported as mean differences and relative risk with 95% confidence intervals. Eleven articles (9 randomized controlled trials) were included with a total of 1220 patients (RIC+PCI=643, PCI=577). Studies with no events were excluded from meta‐analysis. The myocardial salvage index was higher in the RIC+PCI group compared with the PCI group (mean difference: 0.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.02–0.14). Infarct size was reduced in the RIC+PCI group compared with the PCI group (mean difference: −2.46; 95% confidence interval, −4.66 to −0.26). Major adverse cardiovascular events were lower in the RIC+PCI group (9.5%) compared with the PCI group (17.0%; relative risk: 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.40–0.82). Conclusions RIC appears to be a promising adjunctive treatment to PCI for the prevention of reperfusion injury in patients with ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction; however, additional high‐quality research is required before a change in practice can be considered.

Hemicraniectomy versus medical treatment with large MCA infarct: a review and meta-analysis

Objective Large middle cerebral artery stroke (space-occupying middle-cerebral-artery (MCA) infarction (SO-MCAi)) results in a very high incidence of death and severe disability. Decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) for SO-MCAi results in large reductions in mortality; the level of function in the survivors, and implications, remain controversial. To address the controversy, we pooled available randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that examined the impact of DHC on survival and functional ability in patients with large SO-MCAi and cerebral oedema. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane library databases for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) enrolling patients suffering SO-MCAi comparing conservative management to DHC administered within 96 hours after stroke symptom onset. Outcomes were death and disability measured by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). We used a random effects meta-analytical approach with subgroup analyses (time to treatment and age). We applied GRADE methods to rate quality/confidence/certainty of evidence. Results 7 RCTs were eligible (n=338 patients). We found DHC reduced death (69–30% in medical vs surgical groups, 39% fewer), and increased the number of patients with mRS of 2–3 (slight to moderate disability: 14–27%, increase of 13%), those with mRS 4 (severe disability: 10–32%, increase of 22%) and those with mRS 5 (very severe disability 7–11%: increase of 4%) (all differences p<0.0001). We judged quality/confidence/certainty of evidence high for death, low for functional outcome mRS 0–3, and moderate for mRS 0–4 (wide CIs and problems in concealment, blinding of outcome assessors and stopping early). Conclusions DHC in SO-MCAi results in large reductions in mortality. Most of those who would otherwise have died are left with severe or very severe disability: for example, inability to walk and a requirement for help with bodily needs, though uncertainty about the proportion with very severe, severe and moderate disability remains (low to moderate quality/confidence/certainty evidence).

Comparative effectiveness of antiarrhythmics for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A systematic review and network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Despite their wide use in the prehospital setting, randomized control trials (RCTs) have failed to demonstrate that any antiarrhythmic agent improves survival to hospital discharge following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. OBJECTIVE To assess the use of antiarrhythmic drugs for patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS Electronic searches of Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were conducted and reference lists were hand-searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the use of antiarrhythmic agents administered during resuscitation for adult (≥18years) patients suffering non-traumatic OHCA were included. Direct and indirect evidence were combined in a network meta-analysis (NMA) using a frequentist approach with fixed-effects models and reported as relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). For each pairwise comparison, the certainty of direct, indirect, and network evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. RESULTS 8 RCTs involving 4464 patients were combined to compare the effectiveness of 5 antiarrhythmic agents and placebo administered during resuscitation following OHCA. Lidocaine was associated with a statistically significant increase in ROSC compared to placebo (1.15; 95% CI: 1.03-1.28) and was also superior to bretylium (1.61; 95% CI: 1.00-2.60) for ROSC. When compared to placebo, both amiodarone (1.18; 95% CI: 1.08-1.30) and lidocaine (1.18; 95% CI: 1.07-1.30) were associated with a statistically significant increase in survival to hospital admission. However, no antiarrhythmic was statistically more effective than placebo for survival to hospital discharge or neurologically intact survival, and no antiarrhythmic was convincingly superior to any other for any outcome. CONCLUSIONS Amiodarone and lidocaine were the only agents associated with improved survival to hospital admission in the NMA. For the outcomes most important to patients, survival to hospital discharge and neurologically intact survival, no antiarrhythmic was convincingly superior to any other or to placebo.

Text messaging research participants as a follow-up strategy to decrease emergency department study attrition

OBJECTIVE Collecting patient-reported follow-up data for prospective studies in the emergency department (ED) is challenging in this minimal continuity setting. The objective of this study was to determine whether text messaging study participants involved in an ongoing randomized trial resulted in a lower rate of attrition as compared to conventional telephone follow-up. METHODS This was a nested cohort analysis of research participants enrolled in a randomized controlled trial assessing head injury discharge instructions. During the first 4 months of study follow-up, participants were contacted by a conventional telephone call. For the final 3 months, participants were contacted by text messaging following the first failed telephone attempt. RESULTS A total of 118 patients were enrolled in the study (78 underwent conventional follow-up, and 40 received text messages). During the period of conventional follow-up, 3 participants withdrew from the study. Of the remaining 75 participants, 24 (32.0%) at 2 weeks and 32 (42.7%) at 4 weeks were unable to be contacted. Of the 40 participants receiving a reminder text message, 4 (10.0%) at 2 weeks and 10 (25.0%) at 4 weeks were unable to be contacted. Overall, text messaging study participants decreased attrition by 22% (95% CI: 5.9%, 34.7%) and 17.7% (95% CI: -0.8%, 33.3%) at 2- and 4-week follow-ups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In this ED cohort participating in a randomized trial, text message reminders of upcoming telephone follow-up interviews decreased the rate of attrition. Text messaging is a viable, low-cost communication strategy that can improve follow-up participation in prospective research studies.

Antibiotics after incision and drainage for uncomplicated skin abscesses: a clinical practice guideline

What role do antibiotics have in the treatment of uncomplicated skin abscesses after incision and drainage? A recent study suggested that, for small uncomplicated skin abscesses, antibiotics after incision and drainage improve the chance of short term cure compared with placebo. Triggered by this trial, the Rapid Recommendation team produced a new systematic review. Relying on this review and using the GRADE framework according to the BMJ Rapid Recommendation process, an expert panel makes a weak recommendation in favour of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX, co-trimoxazole) or clindamycin in addition to incision and drainage over incision and drainage alone. For patients who have chosen to initiate antibiotics, the panel issues a strong recommendation for TMP-SMX or clindamycin rather than a cephalosporin and a weak recommendation for TMP-SMX rather than clindamycin. Box 1 shows the articles and evidence linked to this Rapid Recommendation. The infographic presents the recommendations together with other pertinent information, including an overview of the absolute benefits and harms of candidate antibiotics in the standard GRADE format. The panel emphasises shared decision making in the choice of whether to initiate antibiotics and in which antibiotic to use, because the desirable and undesirable consequences are closely balanced: clinicians using MAGICapp ( http://magicapp.org/goto/guideline/jlRvQn/section/ER5RAn ) will find decision aids to support the discussion with patients. Table 2 below shows any evidence that has emerged since the publication of this article. ### What you need to know

GRADE approach to rate the certainty from a network meta-analysis: avoiding spurious judgments of imprecision in sparse networks

When direct and indirect estimates of treatment effects are coherent, network meta-analysis (NMA) estimates should have increased precision (narrower confidence or credible intervals compared with relying on direct estimates alone), a benefit of NMA. We have, however, observed cases of sparse networks in which combining direct and indirect estimates results in marked widening of the confidence intervals. In many cases, the assumption of common between-study heterogeneity across the network seems to be responsible for this counterintuitive result. Although the assumption of common between-study heterogeneity across paired comparisons may, in many cases, not be appropriate, it is required to ensure the feasibility of estimating NMA treatment effects. This is especially the case in sparse networks, in which data are insufficient to reliably estimate different variances across the network. The result, however, may be spuriously wide confidence intervals for some of the comparisons in the network (and, in the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach, inappropriately low ratings of the certainty of the evidence through rating down for serious imprecision). Systematic reviewers should be aware of the problem and plan sensitivity analyses that produce intuitively sensible confidence intervals. These sensitivity analyses may include using informative priors for the between-study heterogeneity parameter in the Bayesian framework and the use of fixed effects models.

Evaluation of a web-based educational program to teach the identification and management of alcohol withdrawal in the emergency department

Ideal management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) incorporates a symptom‐driven approach, where patients are regularly assessed using a standardized scoring system (Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol–Revised [CIWA‐Ar]) and treated according to severity. Accurate administration of the CIWA‐Ar requires experience, yet there is no training program to teach this competency. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a curriculum to teach clinicians how to accurately assess and treat AWS.