Table 4.
GRADE certainty of evidence for each pooled outcome.
| Outcome | Studies (n) | Design | Pooled effect (95% CI) | I2 | Downgraded for | Certainty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postoperative pulmonary complications | 3 (688) | 2 RCT, 1 observational | OR 0.75 (0.47–1.20) | 77% | Risk of bias (−1), inconsistency (−1), imprecision (−1) | Very low |
| Neuromuscular recovery time (TOF ratio ≥0.9) | 2 (70) | 2 RCT | Not pooled; both trials favour sugammadex | 100% | Inconsistency (−2), imprecision (−1) | Very low |
| Postoperative recovery time | 3 (260) | 2 RCT, 1 observational | MD − 6.24 min (−9.41 to −3.07) | 73% | Risk of bias (−1), inconsistency (−1) | Low |
| Time to first bowel movement | 2 (559) | 2 observational | MD − 13.81 h (−19.16 to −8.45) | 0% | Risk of bias (−1), imprecision (−1) | Low |
| PACU length of stay | 2 (391) | 1 RCT, 1 observational | MD 1.55 min (−1.60 to 4.69) | 0% | Risk of bias (−1), imprecision (−1) | Low |
| Hospital readmission | 4 (1,745) | 1 RCT, 3 observational | OR 0.93 (0.62–1.39) | 0% | Risk of bias (−1), imprecision (−1) | Low |
| Postoperative nausea and vomiting | 2 (588) | 1 RCT, 1 observational | OR 0.86 (0.48–1.56) | 0% | Risk of bias (−1), imprecision (−1) | Low |
Observational evidence commenced at low certainty and randomised evidence at high certainty; the rating shown reflects the dominant contributing design after downgrading. No outcome was rated above low certainty. CI, confidence interval; MD, mean difference; OR, odds ratio; RCT, randomised controlled trial; TOF, train-of-four.