Journal of rehabilitation medicine : official journal of the UEMS European Board of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
-
To assess how items relevant for the assessment of the generalizability of findings from randomized controlled trials were recorded in systematic reviews published in leading general medical journals. ⋯ In all systematic reviews the recording of characteristics of patients, adherence to interventions, follow-up, and statistical analyses in the RCTs was insufficient. The data did not allow assessment of the clinical homogeneity of the randomized controlled trials, or provide justification for meta-analysis, or allow generalizability of the findings.
-
Muscle atrophy is frequent in critically ill patients and is associated with increased mortality and long-lasting alteration in quality of life. Muscle ultrasound has not been clearly validated in intensive care unit patients. The aim of this study was to compare the level of agreement between ultrasound and computed tomography scan for the measurement of quadriceps muscle thickness. ⋯ A specific ultrasound set-up for measurement of quadriceps thickness is reliable and reproducible in an intensive care unit population.