Mahrous 2013.

Methods	RCT Parallel design Single centre
Participants	Total number of randomised participants: 56 Inclusion criteria: febrile neutropenic patients with severe sepsis and septic shock Exclusion criteria: no details Participant condition: severe sepsis; septic shock Baseline characteristics Colloids group No baseline characteristics reported Crystalloids group No baseline characteristics reported Country: Saudi Arabia Setting: hospital
Interventions	Colloids group Participants: n = 30; losses = unclear; analysed for mortality = unclear; analysed for RRT = 30 Details: HES 130/0.4 (Voluven) Crystalloids group Participants: n = 26; losses = unclear; analysed for mortality = unclear; analysed for RRT = 26 Details: RL
Outcomes	Outcomes measured/reported: acute renal failure, need for RRT, 28‐day mortality Outcomes relevant to the review: mortality (at 28 days), RRT
Notes	Funding/declarations of interest: none reported Study dates: not reported Abstract only. We did not include mortality data from this report, which were reported as percentages; we could not be certain whether the data were for all randomised participants or whether some participant data were lost (crystalloid group: 63.4%; colloid group: 73.3%).
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Participants were randomly assigned, no additional details. Abstract only
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	No details. Abstract only
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias): mortality	Low risk	Abstract only. However, lack of blinding unlikely to introduce bias for mortality
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias): transfusion/renal replacement therapy/adverse events	Unclear risk	No details. Abstract only
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias): mortality	Low risk	Abstract only. However, lack of blinding unlikely to introduce bias for mortality
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias): transfusion/renal replacement therapy/adverse events	Unclear risk	No details. Abstract only
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Abstract only. We could not be certain whether this study had participant losses for mortality because of apparent discrepancies in reported data in the abstract
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	No details of clinical trials registration or prepublished protocol; not feasible to assess risk of selective outcome reporting bias
Baseline characteristics	Unclear risk	Not possible to assess baseline characteristics from abstract
Other bias	Unclear risk	Not feasible to assess other risks of bias from abstract only