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Effects of interventions targeting the systemic inflammatory response to cardiac surgery on clinical outcomes in adults

Abbasciano RG, Tomassini S, Roman MA, Rizzello A, Pathak S, Ramzi J, Lucarelli C, Layton G et al.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2023

40,255 participants · 12 citations

Abstract

Background: Organ injury is a common and severe complication of cardiac surgery that contributes to the majority of deaths. There are no effective treatment or prevention strategies. It has been suggested that innate immune system activation may have a causal role in organ injury. A wide range of organ protection interventions targeting the innate immune response have been evaluated in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in adult cardiac surgery patients, with inconsistent results in terms of effectiveness.

Objectives: The aim of the review was to summarise the results of RCTs of organ protection interventions targeting the innate immune response in adult cardiac surgery. The review considered whether the interventions had a treatment effect on inflammation, important clinical outcomes, or both.

Search methods: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, conference proceedings and two trial registers were searched on October 2022 together with reference checking to identify additional studies.

Selection criteria: RCTs comparing organ protection interventions targeting the innate immune response versus placebo or no treatment in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery where the treatment effect on innate immune activation and on clinical outcomes of interest were reported.

Data collection and analysis: Searches, study selection, quality assessment, and data extractions were performed independently by pairs of authors. The primary inflammation outcomes were peak IL-6 and IL-8 concentrations…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 40,255 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

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