Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis of Chinese Botanical Injections for Sepsis

Yue Yuan's Bayesian network meta-analysis synthesizes evidence from 72 randomized controlled trials involving 6,351 participants. It evaluates the effectiveness of seven Chinese botanical drug injections combined with Western medical treatments for sepsis. The analysis compares outcomes including APACHE II scores, procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, TNF-α, white blood cell counts, and 28-day mortality.

Use Cases

• Rank the effectiveness of seven botanical injections (e.g., Huangqi, Tanreqing) on APACHE II scores using network meta-analysis results.
• Analyze the impact of specific injections like Shenmai on reducing C-reactive protein (CRP) levels from aggregated trial data.
• Compare 28-day mortality rates associated with different treatment regimens, such as Huangqi injection with Western medical treatments.
• Model the relationship between procalcitonin (PCT) levels and treatment with Tanreqing injections based on synthesized RCT evidence.

Strengths

• Evidence synthesis from 72 randomized controlled trials, providing a broad review of the research field.
• Analysis includes data from 6,351 participants across the included studies.
• Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias 2 (ROB 2) tool.

Limitations

• The dataset is very small (5.5 KB), containing only summary-level meta-analysis results, not individual patient or trial data.
• Findings are based on a literature search up to January 1, 2024; newer evidence is not included.
• As a meta-analysis, results are subject to the limitations and potential biases of the 72 underlying primary studies.

Provenance

Source

Yue Yuan, published on figshare.

Collection Method

Bayesian network meta-analysis of 72 RCTs identified from eight electronic databases.

Time Range

Literature search spanned from database inception to January 1, 2024.

Freshness

Literature search covered studies from database inception until January 1, 2024.