Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26024661›Full record

Trial reportMalaria journal2015

An operational comparative study of quinine and artesunate for the treatment of severe malaria in hospitals and health centres in the Democratic Republic of Congo: the MATIAS study.

Giovanfrancesco Ferrari, Henry M Ntuku, Christian Burri, Antoinette K Tshefu, Stephan Duparc, Pierre Hugo, Didier K Mitembo, Amanda Ross, Philippe L Ngwala, Joseph N Luwawu and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Malaria journal, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
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

15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Costs and Cost-Effectiveness of Malaria Control Interventions: A Systematic Literature Review.Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research · 2021
    Pooled it
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  5. Observational
  6. Observational
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  11. Research Advances on Health Effects of EdibleFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020
    Review
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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

13 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Giovanfrancesco FerrariSwiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland. Giovanfrancesco.Ferrari@unibas.ch.
Henry M NtukuKinshasa School of Public Health, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Henry.Ntuku@unibas.ch.
Christian BurriSwiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland. Christian.Burri@unibas.ch.
Antoinette K TshefuKinshasa School of Public Health, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. antotshe@yahoo.com.
Stephan DuparcMedicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland. duparcs@mmv.org.
Pierre HugoMedicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland. hugop@mmv.org.
Didier K MitemboSwiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland. didier.kalemwa@swisstph.org.
Amanda RossSwiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland. amanda.ross@unibas.ch.
Philippe L NgwalaZone de Santé de Kimpese, Kimpese, Democratic Republic of the Congo. phlukanu@gmail.com.
Joseph N LuwawuZone de Santé Rurale de Kisantu, Kisantu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. jeandundu@yahoo.fr.
Papa N MusafiriZone de Santé de Maluku, Maluku, Democratic Republic of the Congo. ndemeremusafiri@yahoo.fr.
Symphorien E NgoieCentre Hospitalier Roi Baudouin 1er Masina, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. symphorienebondo@yahoo.fr.
Christian LengelerSwiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland. Christian.Lengeler@unibas.ch.
University of Basel · CHMedicines for Malaria Venture · CHMinistry of Public Health · CDSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute · CHKinshasa General Hospital · CD

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the highest number of severe malaria cases in the world. In early 2012, the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) changed the policy for treating severe malaria in children and adults from injectable quinine to injectable artesunate. To inform the scaling up of injectable artesunate nationwide, operational research is needed to identify constraints and challenges in the DRC's specific setting.

methodsThe implementation of injectable quinine treatment in 350 patients aged 2 months or older in eight health facilities from October 2012 to January 2013 and injectable artesunate in 399 patients in the same facilities from April to June 2013 was compared. Since this was an implementation study, concurrent randomized controls were not possible. Four key components were evaluated during each phase: 1) clinical assessment, 2) time and motion, 3) feasibility and acceptability, and 4) financial cost.

resultsThe time to discharge was lower in the artesunate (median=2, 90% central range 1-9) compared to the quinine group (3 (1-9) days; p<0.001). Similarly, the interval between admission and the start of intravenous (IV) treatment (2 (0-15) compared to 3 (0-20) hours; p<0.001) and parasite clearance time (23 (11-49) compared to 24 (10-82) hours; p<0.001) were lower in the artesunate group. The overall staff pre-administration time (13 (6-38) compared to 20 (7-50) minutes; p<0.001) and the personnel time spent on patient management (9 (1-24) compared to 12 (3-52) minutes; p<0.001) were lower in the artesunate group. In hospitals and health centres, the mean (standard deviation, SD) total cost per patient treated for severe malaria with injectable artesunate was USD 51.94 (16.20) and 19.51 (9.58); and USD 60.35 (17.73) and 20.36 (6.80) with injectable quinine.

conclusionsThis study demonstrates that injectable artesunate in the DRC is easier to use and it costs less than injectable quinine. These findings provide the basis for practical recommendations for rapid national deployment of injectable artesunate in the DRC.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAmbulatory Care FacilitiesAntimalarialsArtemisininsArtesunateChildChild, PreschoolDemocratic Republic of the CongoFemaleHospitalsHumansInfantInjections, IntravenousMalaria, FalciparumMaleAntimalarialsArtemisininsArtesunateQuinine

Identifiers

PMID26024661
PMCPMC4455055
OpenAlexW2169376098

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.