Table 6.

Meta-analysis of data from individual patients. Effect of combination of prophylactic topical and systemic antibiotics on mortality in patients in intensive care

APACHE II score	No of studies	No treated	No of controls	Odds ratio (95% CI)
Medical patients
0-14	10	16/67	15/76	1.45 (0.63 to 3.36)
15-29	10	57/155	77/180	0.80 (0.50 to 1.29)
⩾30	10	26/54	26/52	0.72 (0.32 to 1.63)
Total		99/276	118/308	0.88 (0.61 to 1.27)
Surgical patients
0-14	10	12/166	20/142	0.43 (0.21 to 0.92)
15-29	9	67/299	76/309	0.91 (0.61 to 1.34)
⩾30	9	12/22	21/26	0.26 (0.06 to 1.20)
Total		91/487	117/477	0.73 (0.52 to 1.03)
Trauma patients
0-14	11	26/268	35/294	0.81 (0.48 to 1.39)
15-29	12	57/258	65/249	0.76 (0.49 to 1.16)
⩾30	12	8/13	5/10	0.95 (0.08 to 10.93)
Total		91/539	105/553	0.78 (0.56 to 1.09)
Overall		281/1302	340/1338	0.79 (0.65 to 0.97)