Table 3.
Summary of findings using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach (GRADE) for outcomes associated with IVC-CI
| Outcomes | No. of participants (studies) | Certainty assessment | Comments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk of bias | Inconsisten-cy | Indirectness | Imprecision | Publication bias | Certainty of the evidence | |||
| Mortality associated with IVC-CI | 97 (1 pre–post study) | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousa | Seriousb | None |
⊗⊗◯◯ Low |
Only one pre–post study with a small sample size conducted in a selected population of heart failure patients |
| Readmission associated with IVC-CI | 172 (2 pre–post studies) | Not serious | Seriousc | Seriousa | Seriousb | None |
⊗◯◯◯ Very low |
Only two pre–post studies with a small sample size conducted in a selected population of heart failure patients with different outcomes (IVCmax and IVC-CI) |
| LOS associated with IVC-CI | 50 (1 pre–post study) | Seriousd | Not serious | Seriousa | Seriousb | None |
⊗◯◯◯ Very low |
Only one pre–post study with a small sample size conducted in a selected population of heart failure patients and no differences in LOS associated with IVC-CI |
| IVC-CI associated with vitals | (0 studies) | – | – | – | – | – | – | IVC-CI associated with vitals not reported |
| IVC-CI associated with degree of dyspnea | (0 studies) | – | – | – | – | – | – | IVC-CI associated with degree of dyspnea not reported |
CI confidence interval, IVC-CI inferior vena cava collapsibility index, LOS length of stay
aDowngraded due to indirectness (only patients with heart failure, no control group)
bDowngraded due to imprecision (small sample)
cDowngraded due to inconsistency [uses different outcomes (IVCmax and IVC-CI)]
dDowngraded due to risk of bias (outcomes not measured in a reliable way, no sample size calculations)