British journal of anaesthesia
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Editorial Comment Meta Analysis
Importance of sequential methods in meta-analysis: implications for postoperative mortality, delirium, and stroke management.
Trial sequential analysis is an adaptation of frequentist sequential methods that can be used to improve inferences from meta-analysis. Trial sequential analysis can help preserve type I and type II error rates at desired levels for analyses conducted before the required information size. Through three case studies recently published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, we show how trial sequential analysis can inform the interpretation of meta-analyses. Limitations of trial sequential analysis, which also include those of the meta-analysis to which it is applied, must be carefully considered alongside its benefits.
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Editorial Comment Meta Analysis
There is (probably) no (meaningful) difference in (most) outcomes between 'spinal' and 'general' anaesthesia for hip fracture surgery: time to move forward.
A meta-analysis influenced by two recent large randomised controlled trials (REGAIN and RAGA) concluded that little, if any, difference in commonly measured outcomes exists between patients administered spinal or general anaesthesia for their hip fracture surgery. We explore whether there is genuinely no difference, or what the methodological problems in research might be that prevent any real difference from being observed. We also discuss the need for greater nuance in future research to determine how anaesthetists might deliver perioperative care towards improving postoperative recovery trajectories in patients following hip fracture.
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Review Meta Analysis
Epidemiological, methodological, and statistical characteristics of network meta-analysis in anaesthesia: a systematic review.
Network meta-analyses (NMAs) combine direct and indirect estimates to provide mixed (or network) estimates of effect sizes. The scientific rigour of the conduct and reporting of anaesthesia NMAs is unknown. This review assessed the epidemiological, methodological, and statistical characteristics of anaesthesia NMAs. ⋯ PROSPERO CRD42021227608.
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Review Meta Analysis
Processed electroencephalography-guided general anaesthesia to reduce postoperative delirium: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Meta-analysis pooled data continues to suggest that processed-EEG guided general anaesthesia is associated with a slightly lower incidence of postoperative delirium compared to usual care or deeper-guided GA.
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Review Meta Analysis
Depth of anaesthesia and mortality after cardiac or noncardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Recent randomised controlled trials have failed to show a benefit in mortality by using processed electroencephalography (pEEG) to guide lighter anaesthesia. We performed a meta-analysis of mortality data from randomised trials of pEEG monitoring to assess the evidence of any protective effect of pEEG-guided light anaesthesia compared with deep anaesthesia in adults aged ≥18 yr. ⋯ CRD42022285195 (PROSPERO).