Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34042412›Full record

Trial reportEuropean journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine2022

Efficacy and safety of short-wave diathermy treatment for moderate COVID-19 patients: a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled clinical study.

Fei Tian, Jin Wang, Xiao Xi, Xiaolong Sun, Miao He, Chenguang Zhao, Feng Feng, Hongbin Wang, Wei Sun, Li Mao and 2 more

Open access · diamondAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 17% 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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Rehabilitation and COVID-19: systematic review by Cochrane Rehabilitation.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2023
    Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
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

12 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Fei TianDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Jin WangDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Xiao XiDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Xiaolong SunDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Miao HeDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Chenguang ZhaoDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Feng FengDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Hongbin WangDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Wei SunDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Li MaoDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Xu HuDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Hua YuanDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China - yuanhuafmmu@foxmail.com.
Xijing Hospital · CNAir Force Medical University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMillions of human beings have suffered in the epidemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but until now the effective treatment methods have been limited.

aimThis study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of short-wave diathermy (SWD) treatment for moderate COVID-19 patients.

designA prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled clinical study.

settingInpatients Unit of a COVID-19 specialized hospital. POPULATION: Forty-two patients with moderate COVID-19 were randomly allocated at a 2:1 ratio to two groups: the SWD group and the control group.

methodsParticipants of the SWD group received SWD treatment, and participants of the control group received placebo SWD treatment for one session per day, 10 minutes per session, for no more than 14 days. Both groups were given standard care treatment. Primary outcome was the rate of clinical improvement according to a seven-category ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes included the rate of computed tomography (CT) improvement and the rate of potential adverse events.

resultsClinical improvement occurred in 92.6% of patients in the SWD group by day 14 compared with 69.2% of patients in the control group (P=0.001). The Cox model indicated that the SWD group had a higher clinical improvement probability than the control group (hazard ratio: 3.045; 95% CI: 1.391-6.666; P=0.005). Similarly, CT improvement occurred in 85.2% of patients in the SWD group and 46.2% of patients in the control group respectively by day 14 (P=0.001). The Cox model indicated SWD group had a higher CT improvement probability than control group (hazard ratio: 3.720; 95% CI: 1.486-9.311; P=0.005). There was no significant difference in adverse events between the SWD group and the control group (2 of 27 [7.4%] SWD vs. 1 of 13 [7.7%] control, P=1.000), the most frequent of which were headache (1 of 27 [3.7%] SWD vs. 1 of 13 [7.7%] control patients) and dizziness (1 of 27 [3.7%] SWD vs. 0 of 13 [0%] control patients).

conclusionsSWD is a valid and reliable adjuvant therapy with a favorable safety profile for moderate COVID-19 patients. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: Clinically relevant information is lacking regarding the efficacy and safety of SWD for patients with COVID-19. This study provides the first evidence that SWD is a promising adjuvant therapy for COVID-19.

Indexed as

COVID-19DiathermyDouble-Blind MethodHumansProspective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Treatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID34042412
PMCPMC9980486
OpenAlexW3165076709

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.