Summary of findings for the main comparison. Mannitol versus hypertonic saline for brain relaxation in patients undergoing craniotomy.
| Mannitol versus hypertonic saline for brain relaxation in patients undergoing craniotomy | ||||||
| Patient or population: patients with brain relaxation undergoing craniotomy Settings: Intervention: mannitol versus hypertonic saline | ||||||
| Outcomes | Illustrative comparative risks* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | No. of participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Assumed risk | Corresponding risk | |||||
| Mannitol | Hypertonic saline | |||||
| Inadequate brain relaxation 3‐ or 4‐point scalesa | Study population | RR 0.6 (0.44 to 0.83) | 387 (3 studies) | ⊕⊕⊝⊝ lowb | ||
| 358 per 1000 | 215 per 1000 (157 to 297) | |||||
| Moderate | ||||||
| 302 per 1000 | 181 per 1000 (133 to 251) | |||||
| *The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). CI: Confidence interval; RR: Risk ratio. | ||||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence. High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect. Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate. Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate. Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate. | ||||||
a3‐ or 4‐point scales were used by study authors to assess brain relaxation. b Downgraded two levels owing to serious concerns about allocation, blinding and potential sources of other bias noted in the included studies