Bakhtiary 2007.

Methods	Parallel RCT Ethics committee: approved by the institutional review board Informed consents: written informed consents obtained Site: Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Hospital, Main, Germany Setting: university hospital Dates of data collection: unspecified Funding: unspecified Registration: not reported
Participants	132 participants; mean age 65 years; sex distribution: 20 females and 112 males Inclusion criteria Patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease Exclusion criteria History of atrial arrhythmias Undergoing emergency operations Requiring intraoperative inotropic support
Interventions	Intervention TEA (N = 66) Comparator Systemic analgesia (N = 66) Premedication: oral midazolam 7.5 mg Induction: propofol, remifentanil, and cisatracurium Maintenance: propofol, remifentanil, and cisatracurium Surgery: off‐pump CABG
Outcomes	Relevant to this review Risk of mortality Risk of myocardial infarction Risk of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter during surgery Haemodynamic variables Other Catecholamine blood concentrations
Notes	Correspondence: letter sent 16 March 2018; no reply Conflict of interest: not reported DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2007.03.043
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	Patients were randomized to receive either GA or combined GATEA
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not reported
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Not reported
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Not reported
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	No loss to follow‐up
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	All prespecified outcomes reported
Other bias	Low risk	No failed epidural reported Groups had similar demographic data