Summary of findings 4. Hypertonic saline compared with amiloride for cystic fibrosis.
| Hypertonic saline compared with amiloride for cystic fibrosis | ||||||
|
Patient or population: adults and children with cystic fibrosis Settings: outpatients Intervention: hypertonic saline Comparison: amiloride | ||||||
| Outcomes | Illustrative comparative risks* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | No of Participants (studies) | Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Assumed risk | Corresponding risk | |||||
| Amiloride | Hypertonic saline | |||||
| FEV1: change from baseline, short‐term | Outcome not reported. | |||||
| FEV1: change from baseline, long‐term | Outcome not reported. | |||||
| LCI | Outcome not reported. | |||||
| Mortality | Outcome not reported. | |||||
|
Measures of sputum clearance Follow‐up: 60 minutes |
There was no significant difference between treatment groups. | NA | 12 (1 trial) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝
very lowa,b,c |
Trial had cross‐over design. | |
| Pulmonary exacerbations | Outcome not reported. | |||||
| Adverse events | Outcome not reported. | |||||
| *The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. the median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). CI: confidence interval; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 second; LCI: lung clearance index; NA: not applicable. | ||||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High certainty: we are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect. Moderate certainty: we are moderately confident in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different. Low certainty: our confidence in the effect estimate is limited: the true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect. Very low certainty: we have very little confidence in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect. | ||||||
aDowngraded once due to risk of bias: high risk of detection bias as participants could discern the taste of the intervention and limited information was provided about the trial methods (including whether a washout period was used). bDowngraded once due to applicability: results apply only to those who can tolerate hypertonic saline, and the trial included only adults so results may not apply to children. cDowngraded once due to imprecision: no numerical data provided and small sample size.