Evidence map›Paper›PMID 17764473›Full record

ReviewBritish journal of clinical pharmacology2007

The contribution of observational studies to the knowledge of drug effectiveness in heart failure.

Daniela Dobre, Dirk J van Veldhuisen, Mike J L DeJongste, Eric van Sonderen, Olaf H Klungel, Robbert Sanderman, Adelita V Ranchor, Flora M Haaijer-Ruskamp

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in British journal of clinical pharmacology, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Daniela DobreNorthern Centre for Healthcare Research, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. d.dobre@med.umcg.nl
Dirk J van Veldhuisen
Mike J L DeJongste
Eric van Sonderen
Olaf H Klungel
Robbert Sanderman
Adelita V Ranchor
Flora M Haaijer-Ruskamp

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the golden standard for the assessment of drug efficacy. Little is known about the add-on value of observational studies in heart failure (HF). We aimed to assess the contribution of observational studies to actual knowledge regarding the effectiveness of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), and beta-blockers (BB) in HF.

methodsObservational studies that assessed the effectiveness of ACEI and BB in HF were identified by searching Medline, Embase, Cochrane Database (1990-2005) and the bibliographies of published articles. Cohort, case-control and time-series analysis studies were considered for inclusion. Studies with <100 patients and those who did not perform a multivariate analysis were excluded.

resultsA total of 23 cohort studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies of ACEI and BB showed a decrease in mortality with drug use in elderly patients with a broad range of ejection fraction (EF), and in those with depressed EF. Additionally, they showed a decrease in mortality in patients with renal insufficiency. The effect of ACEI and BB in HF with preserved EF was not clear, although last evidence suggests a potential benefit. Low-dose ACEI and BB may have beneficial effects. Target doses of ACEI seemed superior to low doses, but there was no clear dose-response relationship.

conclusionsObservational studies in HF validate the effectiveness of ACEI and BB in populations underrepresented or excluded from RCTs. Observational studies of drug effectiveness provide relevant additional information for clinical practice.

Indexed as

ObservationAdrenergic beta-AntagonistsAgedAngiotensin-Converting Enzyme InhibitorsHeart FailureHumansMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesAdrenergic beta-AntagonistsAngiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors

Identifiers

PMID17764473
PMCPMC2048548

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.