Letter the editor: serious methodological concerns about a recently published meta-analysis on oxygen therapy

Thomas Lass Klitgaard; Olav Lilleholt Schjørring; Frederik Mølgaard Nielsen; Christian Sylvest Meyhoff; Marija Barbateskovic; Jørn Wetterslev; Anders Perner; Bodil Steen Rasmussen

doi:10.1186/s40560-021-00573-5

Letter the editor: serious methodological concerns about a recently published meta-analysis on oxygen therapy

J Intensive Care. 2021 Dec 7;9(1):72. doi: 10.1186/s40560-021-00573-5.

Authors

Thomas Lass Klitgaard^{1

2

3}, Olav Lilleholt Schjørring^{4

5

6}, Frederik Mølgaard Nielsen^{4

5

6}, Christian Sylvest Meyhoff⁷, Marija Barbateskovic⁸, Jørn Wetterslev^{8

6}, Anders Perner^{9

6}, Bodil Steen Rasmussen^{4

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark. [email protected].
² Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark. [email protected].
³ Collaboration for Research in Intensive Care, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. [email protected].
⁴ Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
⁵ Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
⁶ Collaboration for Research in Intensive Care, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁷ Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁸ Copenhagen Trial Unit, Centre for Clinical Intervention Research, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁹ Department of Intensive Care, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Abstract

In a recent paper, Chen et al. report the findings of a systematic review with meta-analysis concerning conservative versus conventional oxygen therapy for critically ill patients. We wish to commend the authors for their interest in the matter. However, the authors appear to misquote findings, fail to report results for all specified analyses, do not identify all relevant trials, have post hoc changed the eligibility criteria, and have seemingly switched directions of effects in analyses of secondary outcomes. These issues have led to incorrect conclusions concerning the effects of targeted oxygen therapy in critically ill patients.

Keywords: Critical care; Meta-analysis; Oxygen; Systematic review.

Publication types

Letter