Table 2.
Summary of findings table
| Outcomes | Anticipated absolute effects* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | No. of participants (studies) | Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk with intermittent infusion | Risk with Prolonged infusion | ||||
| All-cause mortality within 30 days | 287 per 1,000 | 235 per 1000 (201 to 276) | RR 0.82 (0.70 to 0.96) | 1762 (9 RCTs) | ⨁⨁◯◯ Low a,b |
| Hospital mortality | 249 per 1,000 | 189 per 1000 (149 to 239) | RR 0.76 (0.60 to 0.96) | 965 (6 RCTs) | ⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate a |
| ICU mortality | 216 per 1,000 | 160 per 1000 (123 to 205) | RR 0.74 (0.57 to 0.95) | 1058 (6 RCTs) | ⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate a |
| 90-day mortality | 361 per 1,000 | 353 per 1000 (303 to 415) | RR 0.98 (0.84 to 1.15) | 1039 (2 RCTs) | ⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate a |
| Clinical cure | 396 per 1,000 | 499 per 1000(439 to 566) | RR 1.26 (1.11 to 1.43) | 1115 (7 RCTs) | ⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate a |
| Emergence of resistance | 194 per 1,000 | 178 per 1000 (134 to 238) | RR 0.92 (0.69 to 1.23) | 766 (2 RCTs) | ⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate a |
| Duration of treatment | MD 0.39 lower (1.04 lower to 0.27 higher) | 1505 (6 RCTs) | ⨁⨁◯◯ Low a,c | ||
| Length of ICU stay | MD 0.01 lower (0.85 lower to 0.82 higher) | 1582 (7 RCTs) | ⨁⨁◯◯ Low a,c | ||
| Length of hospital stay | MD 1.05 higher (0.65 lower to 2.76 higher) | 1472 (5 RCTs) | ⨁⨁◯◯ Low a,c | ||
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
*The risk in the intervention group (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; RR risk ratio; MD mean difference; ICU intensive care unit
aDowngraded the quality of evidence one level for inconsistency
bDowngraded the quality of evidence one level for indirectness
cDowngraded the quality of evidence one level for imprecision