ArticleBMJ (Clinical research ed.)1995
Denial of effective treatment and poor quality of clinical information in placebo controlled trials of ondansetron for postoperative nausea and vomiting: a review of published trials.
Article in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 1995. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 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
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 102 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of perioperative dextrose infusion on preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.The Journal of international medical research · 2021Pooled it
- Comparison of ramosetron and ondansetron for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.The Journal of international medical research · 2019Pooled it
- Antiemetic prophylaxis in thyroid surgery: a randomized, double-blind comparison of three 5-HT3 agents.Journal of anesthesia · 2011Trial
- Ramosetron compared with granisetron for the prevention of vomiting following strabismus surgery in children.The British journal of ophthalmology · 2001Trial
- Evaluation of antiemetic effect of intravenous palonosetron versus intravenous ondansetron in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a randomized controlled trial.Indian journal of pharmacologyTrial
- [Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE): explanation and elaboration - a Korean translation].Ewha medical journal · 2024Article
- A Comparative Study Between Ondansetron and Gabapentin for Prevention of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting Following Maxillofacial Surgery.Journal of maxillofacial and oral surgery · 2020Article
- Comparison of ondansetron, tropisetron, and palonosetron for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting after middle ear surgery.Current therapeutic research, clinical and experimental · 2019Article
- Explanation and Elaboration Document for the STROBE-Vet Statement: Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology-Veterinary Extension.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2016Article
- Comparison of palonosetron, granisetron, and ramosetron for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic gynecologic surgery: a prospective randomized trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2015Observational
- A comparative study between palonosetron and granisetron to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Journal of anaesthesiology, clinical pharmacology · 2010Article
- Principle standards and problems regarding proof of efficacy in clinical psychopharmacology.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2010Article
- Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE): explanation and elaboration.PLoS medicine · 2007Review
- Systematic review on the recurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting after a first episode in the recovery room - implications for the treatment of PONV and related clinical trials.BMC anesthesiology · 2006Article
- Equivalence and noninferiority trials - are they viable alternatives for registration of new drugs? (III).Current controlled trials in cardiovascular medicine · 2004Article
- [Is it legitimate the use of placebos in primary care?].Atencion primaria · 2000Article
- Trials of postoperative antiemetics need three arms.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 1999Article
- When placebo controlled trials are essential and equivalence trials are inadequate.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 1998Review
- Placebo controlled trials of ondansetron for postoperative nausea and vomiting.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 1996Article
- Confusion over use of placebos in clinical trials.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 1995Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo determine how many patients were deprived of treatment by being given placebo as comparator in trials of ondansetron for postoperative nausea and vomiting.
designReview of published trials of ondansetron during 1991 to July 1994.
settingMedline search in a university department of anaesthesia. SUBJECTS: 8806 patients who had been included in 18 indexed placebo controlled trials of ondansetron as prophylaxis against or treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting.
resultsFive studies (1236 patients) had been published by July 1992. All were placebo controlled trials. By July 1994, 8806 patients had been included in 18 indexed placebo controlled studies of prophylaxis or treatment. Only 462 patients had been in studies that compared ondansetron with other drugs, and there were no indexed comparative trials of treatment of nausea and vomiting. Roughly 2180 patients had been given placebo as prophylaxis and 440 had been given placebo when already experiencing postoperative nausea or vomiting.
conclusionsAround 2620 patients in the reviewed studies were denied existing drugs, which, though not completely effective or without side effects, do bring some relief from postoperative nausea and vomiting. Drug regulatory bodies should collaborate with drug companies to ensure better comparison of new with established drugs. This would avoid placebos being given to more than the fewest patients necessary to confirm effect and would allow doctors to be informed more quickly about relative efficacies.
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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.