Table 2.
Summary of findings for included studies.
| Outcomes | Anticipated absolute effects* (95% CI) |
Relative effect (95% CI) | No. of participants (studies) | Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk with CWM | Risk with TCM formulas for activating blood flow plus CWM | |||||
| APACHE II Score | − | SMD 1.36 (2.01 to 0.71 lower) |
− | 659 (9 RCTs) | ⊕⊕○○ low1,2 | |
| Effectiveness rate | 166 per 1 000 |
169 more per 1 000 (138 to 199) |
RR 1.22 (1.18 to 1.26) |
2 887 (38 RCTs) | ⊕⊕○○ low1,4 | |
| Mortality rate | 71 per 1 000 |
63 fewer per 1 000 (18 to 85) |
RR 0.38 (0.17 to 0.82) |
407 (5 RCTs) | ⊕⊕⊕○ moderate1 | |
| Complications | 173 per 1 000 |
198 fewer per 1 000 (150 to 228) |
RR 0.34 (0.24 to 0.50) |
622 (8 RCTs) | ⊕⊕⊕○ moderate1 | |
| Total hospital stays | − | SMD 1.22 lower (1.63 to 0.82 lower) |
− | 617 (8 RCTs) | ⊕○○○ low1,2 | |
| Serum amylase recovery time | − | SMD 2.05 lower (2.76 to 1.35 lower) |
− | 1 033 (13 RCTs) | ⊕⊕○○ low1,2 | |
| Time until the disappearance of abdominal pain | − | SMD 1.08 lower (1.23 to 0.93 lower) |
− | 787 (11RCTs) | ⊕⊕⊕○ moderate1 | |
| Microcirculation indicator | D-D | − | SMD 1.05 lower (2.01 to 0.08 lower) |
− | 192 (3 RCTs) | ⊕⊕○○ low1,3 |
| PAF | − | SMD 2.08 lower (3.88 to 0.27 lower) |
− | 236 (3 RCTs) | ⊕○○○ very low1,2,3 | |
| FIB | − | SMD 1.07 lower (1.44 to 0.69 lower) |
− | 124 (2 RCTs) | ⊕⊕○○ low1,4 | |
| ET | − | SMD 2.23 lower (2.64 to 1.83 lower) |
− | 151 (2 RCTs) | ⊕⊕○○ low1,3 | |
| TXA2 | − | SMD 1.55 lower (2.45 to 0.66 lower) |
− | 248 (3 RCTs) | ⊕⊕○○ low1,3,4 | |
| NO | − | SMD 0.77 higher (0.46 to 1.08 higher) |
− | 172 (2 RCTs) | ⊕⊕○○ low1,3 | |
| PGI2 | − | SMD 0.57 lower (3.40 lower to 2.26 higher) |
− | 248 (3 RCTs) | ⊕○○○ very low1,2,3 | |
| Inflammation indicator | TNF-α | − | SMD 1.77 lower (2.06 to 1.48 lower) |
− | 1 635 (21 RCTs) | ⊕⊕○○ low1,2 |
| IL-6 | − | SMD 1.93 lower (2.47 to 1.39 lower) |
− | 1 283 (17 RCTs) | ⊕⊕○○ low1,2 | |
| IL-1β | − | SMD 0.97 lower (1.80 to 0.14 lower) |
− | 404 (5 RCTs) | ⊕⊕○○ low1,2 | |
| CRP | − | SMD 1.36 lower (2.24 to 0.48 lower) |
− | 257 (4 RCTs) | ⊕○○○ very low1,2,3 | |
| HMGB1 | − | SMD 2.20 lower (2.83 to 1.56 lower) |
− | 185 (2 RCTs) | ⊕○○○ very low1,2,3 | |
Note: *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).
TCM: Traditional Chinese Medicine; CWM: conventional western medical treatments; AP: Acute pancreatitis; CI: confidence interval; RR: risk ratio; SMD: standardised mean difference.
GRADE Working Group grades of evidence. High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect. Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate. Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate. Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate. 1Due to Risk of bias; 2Due to Inconsistency; 3Due to Inprecision; 4Due to Publication bias.