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. 1998 Apr 25;316(7140):1275–1285. doi: 10.1136/bmj.316.7140.1275

Table 1.

Results of five published meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials on antibiotic prophylaxis for mortality and respiratory tract infection in patients in intensive care

End points Point estimates (95% CI)
All trials Topical plus systemic antibiotics Topical antibiotics alone
Vandenbroucke-Grauls et al4 (6 trials, 491 patients)
Mortality 0.70* (0.45 to 1.09) NA NA
Infection 0.12* (0.08 to 0.19) NA NA
SDD Trialists’ Group5 (22 trials, 4142 patients)
Mortality 0.90* (0.79 to 1.04) 0.80 (0.67 to 0.97) 1.07 (0.86 to 1.32)
Infection 0.37* (0.31 to 0.43) 0.33 (0.27 to 0.40) 0.43 (0.33 to 0.56)
Heyland et al6 (24 trials, 3312 patients)
Mortality 0.87 (0.79 to 0.97) 0.81 (0.71 to 0.95) 1.00 (0.83 to 1.19)
Pneumonia 0.46 (0.39 to 0.56) 0.48 (0.39 to 0.60) 0.43 (0.32 to 0.59)
Kollef et al8 (16 trials, 2270 patients)
Mortality  0.02 (−0.02 to 0.05) NA NA
Pneumonia 0.14 (0.12 to 0.17) NA NA
Tracheobronchitis 0.05 (0.02 to 0.09) NA NA
Hurley et al7 (26 trials, 3768 patients)
Mortality 0.86* (0.74 to 0.99) NA NA
Infection 0.35* (0.30 to 0.42) NA NA

NA=data not in published articles.  

*

Odds ratio.  

Relative risk.  

Risk difference.