Summary of findings 3. Methylxanthine derivatives versus inactive control for central sleep apnoea associated with heart failure in adults.
| Theophylline 3.3 mg/kg (twice daily)compared to placebo for central sleep apnoea in adults | |||||
| Patient or population: adults with central sleep apnoea associated with heart failure in adults Setting: outpatients Intervention: theophylline 3.3 mg/kg (twice daily) Comparison: placebo | |||||
| Outcomes | Anticipated absolute effects* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | № of participants (studies) | Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) | |
| Risk with placebo | Risk with theophylline | ||||
|
cAHI Follow‐up: mean 3 weeks (short‐term) |
Mean cAHI was 26 events/hour | MD 20.00 events/hour lower (32.15 lower to 7.85 lower) |
— | 15 (1 RCT) |
⊕⊝⊝⊝ Very lowa |
| Cardiovascular mortality | Not reported | ||||
| Serious adverse events | Not reported | ||||
| Quality of sleep | Not reported | ||||
| Quality of life | Not reported | ||||
| AHI Follow‐up: mean 3 weeks (short‐term) | Mean AHI was 37 events/hour | MD 19.00 events/hour lower (30.27 lower to 7.73 lower) | — | 15 (1 RCT) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ Very lowa |
| All‐cause mortality | Not reported | ||||
| *The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% CI) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). AHI: apnoea‐hypopnoea index; cAHI: central apnoea‐hypopnoea index; CI: confidence interval; MD: mean difference; RCT: randomised controlled trial. | |||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High certainty: we are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect. Moderate certainty: we are moderately confident in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different. Low certainty: our confidence in the effect estimate is limited: the true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect. Very low certainty: we have very little confidence in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect. | |||||
a Downgraded three levels due to serious study limitations (unclear risk of selection bias and reporting bias) and very serious imprecision (very small sample size and wide CI).