SynthesisBMJ open2024
Effect of methylene blue on outcomes in patients with distributive shock: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Methylene Blue in Septic Shock: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Critical care explorations · 2024Pooled it
- Administration of Methylene Blue to Facilitate the Management of Post-Cardiac Arrest Refractory Shock.JACC. Case reports · 2026Article
- Early Methylene Blue for Mortality Reduction in High-Dose VasoPREssor-Dependent Septic Shock (EMPRESS): protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Article
- Methylene blue in the critical care setting.World journal of critical care medicine · 2025Review
- Article
- Predicting responsiveness to fixed-dose methylene blue in adult patients with septic shock using interpretable machine learning: a retrospective study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Effects of Early Use of Methylene Blue and Vasopressin on Noradrenaline Dose in Septic Shock: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Indian journal of critical care medicine : peer-reviewed, official publication of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine · 2025Article
- Administration of methylene blue in septic shock: pros and cons.Critical care (London, England) · 2024Review
- Distributive shock in cardiac intensive care unit patients.Indian heart journalReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis meta-analysis aimed to demonstrate the effect of methylene blue (MB) in patients with distributive shock.
designMeta-analysis.
methodsAccording to the Prospective International Register of Systematic Reviews (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, we searched the relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs) via PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library from the date of database inception to 19 April 2023. The primary outcome was mortality during follow-up, and secondary outcomes included mean arterial pressure (mm Hg), mechanical ventilation time (hours), intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS) (days), hospital LOS (days) and heart rate (times/min).
resultsThis study included six RCTs with 265 participants. The study showed no significant difference in mortality between the MB and placebo groups (ORs: 0.59; 95% CI 0.32 to -1.06). However, MB reduced the duration of mechanical ventilation (mean difference (MD): -0.68; 95% CI -1.23 to -0.14), ICU LOS (MD: -1.54; 95% CI -2.61 to -0.48) and hospital LOS (MD: -1.97; 95% CI -3.92 to -0.11).
conclusionsThe use of MB may not reduce mortality in patients with distributive shock, but may shorten the duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU LOS and hospital LOS. More clinical studies are needed to confirm these findings in the future. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023415938.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.