Table 1.
Quality assessment
| Study | Patients randomized | Groups similar at baseline | Groups treated equally | All patients accounted for | Assessor blinded or objective | Intention to treat analysis | TOTAL (max 6) | Level of Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browder et al, 1990 [29] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1b |
| Bulger et al, 2008 [19] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1b |
| Croce et al, 1998 [24] | 1 | 0° | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2b |
| de Felippe et al, 1993 [30] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2b |
| Douzinas et al, 2000 [32] | 1 | 0* | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2b |
| Dries et al, 1998 [18] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2b |
| Glinz et al, 1985 [20] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1b |
| Livingston et al, 1994 [31] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1b |
| Marzi et al, 1993 [25] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1b |
| Miller & Lim, 1985 [14] | 1 | n.r. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2b |
| Nakos et al, 2002 [26] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1b |
| Nathens et al, 2006 [21] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1b |
| Polk et al, 1992 [22] | 1 | 0° | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2b |
| Rhee et al, 2000 [23] | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2b |
| Rizoli et al, 2006 [27] | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2b |
| Seekamp et al, 2004 [16] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1b |
| Vassar et al, 1991 [15] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1b |
| Waydhas et al, 1998 [28] | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2b |
1 = yes; 0 = no; n.r. = not reported, the test group was older; * = the test group had a higher injury severity score, which was corrected for using a multiple regression model.