Table 1.
Trial | No of patients randomised/ analysed (stratified by) | Description of patients | Intervention and duration | Duration of follow up | Outcomes of interest (inferred outcomes) | Methodological rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bunout et al41 | 40/36* | Adult, medical, unwell | Oral sip feeds, 20 days | 1 month | Weight, death | C |
Chandra and Puri42 | 30/30 | Healthy elderly | Oral sip feeds, 4 weeks | 1 month | Death | B |
Delmi et al30 | 59/59 | Elderly orthopaedic inpatients, postoperatively | Oral sip feeds, 1 month | 6 months | Death | C |
Efthimiou et al34 | 14/14 | Mixed elderly and adult, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Oral sip feeds, 3 months | 9 months | Weight, anthropometry (SD for weight and anthropometry) | B |
Elkort et al43 | 47/47 | Age unclear, malignancy, chemotherapy | Oral sip feeds, 1 year | 1 year | Weight, anthropometry, death | C |
Fiaterone et al35 | 100/100 (exercise) | Healthy elderly volunteers | Oral sip feeds, 3 months | 70 days | Weight, death | A |
Ganzoni et al44 | 30/20† | Age unclear, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Oral sip feeds, 12 months | 12 months | Weight (baseline weight and SD for weight) | B |
Hankey et al45 | 20/20 | Elderly, medical, unwell | Oral sip feeds, 2 months | 2 months | Weight, anthropometry, death (personal communication) (SD for weight and anthropometry) | B |
Knowles et al46 | 25/25 | Adult, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Oral sip feeds, 8 weeks | 16 weeks | Weight, anthropometry, death | A‡ |
Larsson et al10 | 501/435* (patient’s baseline nutritional state) | Elderly, medical, unwell | Oral sip feeds, 6 months | 6 months | Weight, anthropometry, death | C |
Lewis et al47 | 21/21 | Adult, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Oral sip feeds, 2 months | 8 weeks | Anthropometry, death (SD for anthropometry) | B |
Meredith et al 13 | 11/11 | Healthy elderly volunteers | Oral sip feeds, 3 months | 84 days | Weight, death (SD for weight) | C |
Nayal et al48 | 23/23 | Adult, malignancy, radiotherapy | Oral sip feeds, 10-15 days | 10-31 days | Weight, anthropometry, death (SD for weight and anthropometry) | B |
Otte et al49 | 28/28 | Adult, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Oral sip feeds, 3 months | 13 weeks | Weight, anthropometry, death | B |
Rana et al50 | 54/40* | Adult, malignancy, postoperatively | Oral sip feeds, 7 days | 7 days | Weight, anthropometry, death (SD for weight and anthropometry) | A |
Rogers et al51 | 27/27 | Elderly, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Oral sip feeds, 4 months | 4 months | Weight, anthropometry (SD for weight and anthropometry) | C |
Schols et al52 | 71/71§ (patient’s baseline nutritional state) | Adult, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Oral sip feeds, 8 weeks | 8 weeks | Weight, anthropometry | C |
Woo et al53 | 81/81 | Healthy elderly | Oral sip feeds, 1 month | 3 months | Weight, anthropometry, death (SD for weight and anthropometry) | A‡ |
Marcia et al40 | 92/92 (tumour) | Age unclear, malignancy, radiotherapy | Food supplements, 2 years | 2 years | Weight, anthropometry (SD for weight and anthropometry) | C‡ |
Odlund Olin et al39 | 36/36 | Elderly, medical, unwell | Natural food supplements, 6 weeks | 6 weeks | Weight, death | B |
Bastow et al29 | 122/122 (patient’s baseline nutritional state) | Elderly orthopaedic inpatients, postoperatively | Nasogastric tube, 4 weeks | 16-39 days | Weight, anthropometry, death (SD for anthropometry, baseline weight assumed, baseline anthropometry) | A |
Chiarelli et al54 | 20/20 | Adult, burns | Nasogastric tube, 2 days | 2 days | Weight, death | A |
Hwang et al56 | 24/24 | Adult, unwell postoperatively | Nasogastric tube, 2 days | 8 days | Weight, anthropometry, death (SD for weight and anthropometry) | B |
Sagar et al57 | 30/30 | Adult surgical, malignancy | Nasogastric tube, 7 days | 10-46 days | Weight, death (baseline weight assumed and SD for W1¶) | A |
Schroeder et al55 | 32/32 | Adult surgical, malignancy | Nasogastric tube, 3 days | 4 days | Weight, death | B |
Shulka et al58 | 110/110 | Adult surgical, malignancy | Nasogastric tube, 10 days | 10 days | Weight, anthropometry, death (SD for anthropometry) | C |
Whittaker et al44 | 10/10 | Elderly, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | Nasogastric tube, 16 days | 16 days | Weight, death (SD for weight) | C‡ |
Evans et al59 | 192/180* (tumour) | Adult, malignancy, chemotherapy | Oral and enteral feeding, 12 weeks | 37 months | Weight, death (SD for weight) | A |
Smith et al60 | 50/50 | Adult surgical, malignancy | Gastrostomy tube, 10 days | 10 days | Weight, anthropometry, death (SD for weight and A1¶) | A |
Vonmeyenfe ldt et al61 | 100/100 | Adult surgical, malignancy | Gastrostomy tube, 11 days | 10 days | Death | B |
Adult=<70 years; elderly=⩾70 years; A=method of randomisation clearly described and complete follow up; B=no method described but stated as randomised and complete patient follow up; C=no method described and not all patients accounted for at end of follow up.
Withdrawn after randomisation and before treatment (see sensitivity analysis).
Analysed fewer than randomised reasons unclear.
Anthropometry assessed by observer blinded to patients’ treatment allocation group (if not stated assume not blinded).
Part of larger study with other non-nutritional arms.
SD for weight (W1) or anthropometry (A1) calculated from median and range provided.