Global collaboration between platform trials in surgery and anaesthesia

James Glasbey; Steve A Webb; Trisha Peel; Thomas D Pinkney; Paul S Myles

doi:10.1016/j.bja.2024.09.021

Global collaboration between platform trials in surgery and anaesthesia

Br J Anaesth. 2024 Dec 18:S0007-0912(24)00576-2. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2024.09.021. Online ahead of print.

Authors

James Glasbey¹, Steve A Webb², Trisha Peel³, Thomas D Pinkney⁴, Paul S Myles⁵

Affiliations

¹ Academic Department of Surgery, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; St John of God Healthcare, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
³ Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁴ Academic Department of Surgery, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
⁵ Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39706702
DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2024.09.021

Abstract

Large, randomised trials are the bedrock of evidence-based medicine, but the resources required to complete such trials greatly limit the number of important clinical questions that can be addressed within a reasonable period of time. Adaptive platform trials can identify effective, ineffective, or harmful treatments faster. These trials have been shown to deliver rapid evidence through the COVID-19 pandemic and are now being adopted across surgery and anaesthesia, with many opportunities for surgeons, anaesthetists, and other perioperative physicians to conduct and collaborate in platform trials.

Keywords: adaptive trials; anaesthesia; collaborative research; perioperative care; platform trials; surgery; surgical site infection.

Publication types

Editorial