SynthesisBritish journal of anaesthesia2022
Prone positioning for non-intubated spontaneously breathing patients with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in British journal of anaesthesia, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 84 citations in OpenAlex.
- Awake prone positioning reduces mortality, intubation, and hospital stay in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 6,164 patients.BMC anesthesiology · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Guideline on positioning and early mobilisation in the critically ill by an expert panel.Intensive care medicine · 2024Guideline
- Prone positioning effect on tracheal intubation rate, mortality and oxygenation parameters in awake non-intubated severe COVID-19-induced respiratory failure: a review of reviews.European journal of medical research · 2024Pooled it
- Conscious prone positioning in nonintubated COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis.Critical care science · 2024Pooled it
- Awake prone positioning for patients with COVID-19-related respiratory failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Internal and emergency medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of awake prone position vs. usual care on acute hypoxemic respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy of awake prone positioning in patients with covid-19 related hypoxemic respiratory failure: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness of prone position in acute respiratory distress syndrome and moderating factors of obesity class and treatment durations for COVID-19 patients: A meta-analysis.Intensive & critical care nursing · 2022Pooled it
- Awake prone positioning for non-intubated patients with COVID-19-related acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The Lancet. Respiratory medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Awake prone positioning for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in intensive care unit: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Lung impedance changes during awake prone positioning in COVID-19. A non-randomized cross-over study.PloS one · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Awake Prone Positioning in Moderate ARDS: A Case Report.Clinics and practice · 2026Article
- Prone position ventilation combined with high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy in patients with pulmonary infection: a retrospective study on evidence-based nursing practice.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- [Effect of awake prone positioning in non-intubated patients with community-acquired pneumonia complicated by hypoxemia].Medecine tropicale et sante internationale · 2025Review
- Use of prone position in spontaneous breathing in patients with COVID-19.Journal of critical care medicine (Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie din Targu-Mures) · 2025Article
- Article
- Clinical Applicability of Electrical Impedance Tomography in Patient-Tailored Ventilation: A Narrative Review.Tomography (Ann Arbor, Mich.) · 2023Review
- COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Treatment with Helmet CPAP in Respiratory Intermediate Care Unit by Pulmonologists in the Three Italian Pandemic Waves.Advances in respiratory medicine · 2023Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundProne positioning in non-intubated spontaneously breathing patients is becoming widely applied in practice alongside noninvasive respiratory support. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the effect, timing, and populations that might benefit from awake proning regarding oxygenation, mortality, and tracheal intubation compared with supine position in hypoxaemic acute respiratory failure.
methodsWe conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, and BMJ Best Practice until August 2021 (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews [PROSPERO] registration: CRD42021250322). Studies included comprise least-wise 20 adult patients with hypoxaemic respiratory failure secondary to acute respiratory distress syndrome or coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed, and study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool.
resultsFourteen studies fulfilled the selection criteria and 2352 patients were included; of those patients, 99% (n=2332/2352) had COVID-19. Amongst 1041 (44%) patients who were placed in the prone position, 1021 were SARS-CoV-2 positive. The meta-analysis revealed significant improvement in the PaO
conclusionsProne positioning can improve oxygenation amongst non-intubated patients with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure when applied for at least 4 h over repeated daily episodes. Awake proning appears safe, but the effect on tracheal intubation rate and survival remains uncertain.
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Registered trials
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.