Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35798523›Full record

SynthesisBMJ open2022

Meta-analysis of COVID-19 prevalence during preoperative COVID-19 screening in asymptomatic patients.

Ellen de Bock, Mando D Filipe, Roger K J Simmermacher, A Christiaan Kroese, Menno R Vriens, Milan C Richir

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 37% 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Observational
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

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ellen de BockDepartment of Surgery, Cancer Centre, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands E.deBock-2@umcutrecht.nl.ORCID 0000-0002-5796-1617
Mando D FilipeDepartment of Surgery, Cancer Centre, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Roger K J SimmermacherDepartment of Surgery, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
A Christiaan KroeseDepartment of Anaesthesiology, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Menno R VriensDepartment of Surgery, Cancer Centre, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Milan C RichirDepartment of Surgery, Cancer Centre, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
University Medical Center Utrecht · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesPatients with COVID-19 may be asymptomatic and are able to transmit COVID-19 during a surgical procedure, resulting in increased pressure on healthcare and reduced control of COVID-19 spread. There remains uncertainty about the implementation of preoperative screening for COVID-19 in asymptomatic surgical patients. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence of preoperative COVID-19, confirmed by reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), in asymptomatic patients.

designSystematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Pubmed and Embase databases were searched through 20 February 2022. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: All COVID-19 articles including preoperative asymptomatic patients were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed risk of bias. Meta-analysis was performed to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 with 95% CI. Moreover, estimated positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value, false-positives (FP) and false-negatives were calculated for preoperative asymptomatic patients.

resultsTwenty-seven studies containing 27 256 asymptomatic preoperative screened patients were included, of which 431 were positive for COVID-19 by RT-PCR test. In addition, the meta-analysis revealed a pooled COVID-19 prevalence of 0.76% (95% CI 0.36% to 1.59%). The calculated PPV for this prevalence is 40.8%.

conclusionsThe pooled COVID-19 prevalence in asymptomatic patients tested preoperatively was 0.76%, with low corresponding PPV. Consequently, nearly three-quarters of postponed surgical procedures in asymptomatic preoperative patients may be FP. In the event of similar pandemics, modification of preoperative mandatory RT-PCR COVID-19 testing in asymptomatic patients may be considered.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 TestingHumansPandemicsPrevalenceSARS-CoV-2COVID-19infection controlsurgery

Identifiers

PMID35798523
PMCPMC9263349
OpenAlexW4284681723

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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.