Meta-analyses of clinical trials: are we getting lemonade from lemons?

Karsten Bartels; Daniel I. Sessler

doi:10.1016/j.bja.2021.09.028

Meta-analyses of clinical trials: are we getting lemonade from lemons?

Karsten Bartels, Daniel I. Sessler

Anesthesiology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review

Abstract

Meta-analyses guide planning of clinical trials and clinical care, but are subject to all the methodologic problems and potential biases present in the underlying trials. Furthermore, publication bias often contributes to overestimated benefit in meta-analyses of small trials, which are often ‘corrected’ by subsequent large trials. Meta-analyses are no substitute for large robust trials.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	233-235
Number of pages	3
Journal	British Journal of Anaesthesia
Volume	128
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2021.09.028
State	Published - Feb 2022

Keywords

anaesthesia
bias
clinical trial methodology
meta-analysis
outcomes
postoperative pulmonary complications
rigour

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine

Access to Document

10.1016/j.bja.2021.09.028

Cite this

@article{d89fc86ec10a4a4185d3260b949ee36a,

title = "Meta-analyses of clinical trials: are we getting lemonade from lemons?",

abstract = "Meta-analyses guide planning of clinical trials and clinical care, but are subject to all the methodologic problems and potential biases present in the underlying trials. Furthermore, publication bias often contributes to overestimated benefit in meta-analyses of small trials, which are often {\textquoteleft}corrected{\textquoteright} by subsequent large trials. Meta-analyses are no substitute for large robust trials.",

keywords = "anaesthesia, bias, clinical trial methodology, meta-analysis, outcomes, postoperative pulmonary complications, rigour",

author = "Karsten Bartels and Sessler, {Daniel I.}",

note = "Funding Information: US National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant K23DA040923 , and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) grant R01HS027795 (to KB). This report's content is solely the authors' responsibility and does not represent the official views of NIH and AHRQ. NIH and AHRQ had no involvement in writing the report or the decision to submit the article for publication. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 British Journal of Anaesthesia",

year = "2022",

month = feb,

doi = "10.1016/j.bja.2021.09.028",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "128",

pages = "233--235",

journal = "British Journal of Anaesthesia",

issn = "0007-0912",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Meta-analyses of clinical trials

T2 - are we getting lemonade from lemons?

AU - Bartels, Karsten

AU - Sessler, Daniel I.

N1 - Funding Information: US National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant K23DA040923 , and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) grant R01HS027795 (to KB). This report's content is solely the authors' responsibility and does not represent the official views of NIH and AHRQ. NIH and AHRQ had no involvement in writing the report or the decision to submit the article for publication. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 British Journal of Anaesthesia

PY - 2022/2

Y1 - 2022/2

N2 - Meta-analyses guide planning of clinical trials and clinical care, but are subject to all the methodologic problems and potential biases present in the underlying trials. Furthermore, publication bias often contributes to overestimated benefit in meta-analyses of small trials, which are often ‘corrected’ by subsequent large trials. Meta-analyses are no substitute for large robust trials.

AB - Meta-analyses guide planning of clinical trials and clinical care, but are subject to all the methodologic problems and potential biases present in the underlying trials. Furthermore, publication bias often contributes to overestimated benefit in meta-analyses of small trials, which are often ‘corrected’ by subsequent large trials. Meta-analyses are no substitute for large robust trials.

KW - anaesthesia

KW - bias

KW - clinical trial methodology

KW - meta-analysis

KW - outcomes

KW - postoperative pulmonary complications

KW - rigour

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85118534271&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85118534271&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.bja.2021.09.028

DO - 10.1016/j.bja.2021.09.028

M3 - Editorial

C2 - 34742542

AN - SCOPUS:85118534271

VL - 128

SP - 233

EP - 235

JO - British Journal of Anaesthesia

JF - British Journal of Anaesthesia

SN - 0007-0912

IS - 2

ER -

Meta-analyses of clinical trials: are we getting lemonade from lemons?

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this