Table 1.
Effectiveness of drug v placebo
|
Rate of pneumonia
|
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ranitidine (analysis A) | Sucralfate (analysis B) | Ranitidine v placebo (analysis C) | Sucralfate v placebo (analysis D) | Ranitidine v sucralfate (analysis E) | ||
Identified and screened studies | 51 | 46 | 59 | 35 | 11 | |
Studies excluded | 45* | 42* | 56* | 33* | 3* | |
Potentially relevant trials for inclusion | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 8 | |
Studies excluded | 124† | 316-18† | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Trials included | 511-15 | 111 | 312 13 15 | 217 18 | 83 19-26 |
Studies were excluded because they did not compare treatment options considered by meta-analysis in question (A=16; B=18, C=12; D=14; E=1) or because objective of trial was not prophylaxis of stress ulcer (A=29; B=23, C=44; D=19; E=1) or because they duplicated study already included in meta-analysis question (A=0; B=1, C=0; D=0; E=1).
Studies excluded because end point of bleeding did not meet definition of “clinically important bleeding” according to Cook et al.2