ArticleBMJ open2025
Efficacy and safety of vagus nerve stimulation for the treatment of status epilepticus in children: a study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionStatus epilepticus, particularly in children, is a neurological emergency with significant morbidity and mortality. When standard anticonvulsant therapies fail, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has emerged as a potential acute intervention. However, its efficacy and safety remain uncertain due to a lack of robust evidence. This systematic review aims to synthesise existing data to evaluate the role of VNS in treating paediatric status epilepticus. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This protocol follows Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols guidelines. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science will be conducted from inception to 31 October 2025. Studies involving paediatric patients (0-18 years) receiving VNS for status epilepticus in acute care settings will be included. Risk of bias will be assessed using Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 and ROBINS-I tools. If feasible, random-effects meta-analysis will be performed to pool effect estimates for primary outcomes; otherwise, narrative synthesis will be conducted. Heterogeneity will be evaluated using the I² statistic. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses will explore sources of variation. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: As this study is based on published literature, ethical approval is not required. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication and presentations at relevant academic conferences, contributing to evidence-based management strategies for refractory paediatric status epilepticus. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD 420251153939.
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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.