Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37286747›Full record

ArticleCanadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie2023

The Fragility Index of randomized controlled trials in pediatric anesthesiology.

Jason Hayes, Mael Zuercher, Nan Gai, Apala Roy Chowdhury, Kazuyoshi Aoyama

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Risk factors for pediatric emergence delirium: a systematic review.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Perioperative clinical practice recommendations for pediatric tonsillectomy: a systematic review.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2024
    Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Comment on: The fragility index of randomized controlled trials in pediatric anesthesiology.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2024
    Article
  6. In reply: Comment on: The fragility index of randomized controlled trials in pediatric anesthesiology.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2024
    Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Jason HayesDepartment of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada. jason.hayes@sickkids.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4928-5460
Mael ZuercherDepartment of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
Nan GaiDepartment of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
Apala Roy ChowdhuryDepartment of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
Kazuyoshi AoyamaDepartment of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe P value is a widely used measure of statistical importance but has many drawbacks and limitations, one being that it does not reflect the robustness of the results of a clinical trial. The Fragility Index (FI) was developed as a measure of how many outcome events would need to change to nonevents to render a significant P value nonsignificant (P ≥ 0.05). The FI of trials from other medical specialties is typically < 5. We aimed to determine the FI of pediatric anesthesiology randomized controlled trials (RCT) and to test for association with various characteristics of the included trials.

methodsWe conducted a comprehensive systematic search of high-impact anesthesia, surgical, and medical journals from the last 25 years for trials comparing an intervention between two groups with a statistically significant P value (< 0.05) for a dichotomous outcome. We also compared FI values for variables that reflect the quality and importance of a trial.

resultsThe median [interquartile range] FI was 3 [1-7] and correlated positively with the number of participants (r

conclusionsThe FI of published trials in pediatric anesthesiology is similarly low as in other medical specialties. Larger trials with more events and P values ≤ 0.01 were associated with a higher FI.

Indexed as

AnesthesiologyChildHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicResearch DesignSample SizeFragility Indexpediatric anesthesiarandomized controlled trialresearch methodology

Identifiers

PMID37286747

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.