Reilly 1990

Methods	Randomised trial comparing two different parenteral nutrition solutions (standard or branched‐chain amino acids) to no parenteral nutrition in patients hospitalized for liver transplant. Geographical location Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Study published 1999.
Participants	Inclusion criteria: Immediately postoperative after successful liver transplantation. Exclusion criteria: None cited. 28 patients (13 men/15 women, mean age 49).
Interventions	Intervention group received parenteral nutrition (1.5 gm/d standard or branched chain amino acids, 35 kcal/kg/d [carbohydrate and lipid]); Controls received standard dextrose solutions intravenously. Duration 7 days. All patients received cyclosporine and steroids.
Outcomes	Mortality, serum bilirubin, duration intensive care unit and total hospitalization, cost, nitrogen balance
Category of study	Parenteral nutrition/Surgical (liver transplant).
Sample size calculation	None reported if done.
Full paper or abstract only	Full paper.
Notes	For bilirubin outcome, we used the calculated mean of two treatment groups and the lower standard deviation (since no significant difference between the two groups) and compared to the control group. Unable to find address or location for Dr Reilly; e‐mail sent to coauthor, Dr Leonard Makowka (Lmakowka@ITFGP.com) on September 13 failed; letter then sent by US mail (Leonard Makowka, M.D., ITF Global Partners. 181 Hudson Street, PH, New York, NY 10013). No response has been received as of March 20, 2012.
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Only states "randomised".
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	No details.
Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) All outcomes	High risk	Not blinded.
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	No dropouts.
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	High risk	Serum bilirubin not useful, as patients had liver transplant as confounding factor; no postoperative morbidity reported, so no morbidity data at all reported.
Other bias	Unclear risk	Funding source not reported.
Intent to treat analysis	Low risk	No dropouts.
Baseline imbalance?	Low risk	No differences identified.
Early stopping?	Unclear risk	No sample size calculation and unknown why stopped.