Open AccessStudy protocol – A systematic review and meta‐analysis of hypothermia in experimental traumatic brain injury: Why have promising animal studies not been replicated in pragmatic clinical trials?
Author(s) -
Hirst Theodore C.,
Watzlawick Ralf,
Rhodes Jonathan K.,
Macleod Malcolm R.,
Andrews Peter J.D.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
evidence‐based preclinical medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2054-703X
DOI - 10.1002/ebm2.20
Subject(s) - traumatic brain injury , meta analysis , protocol (science) , clinical trial , hypothermia , medicine , systematic review , clinical study design , intensive care medicine , psychology , medline , psychiatry , alternative medicine , anesthesia , pathology , political science , law
Traumatic brain injury ( TBI ) is a major cause of death and permanent disability. Systemic hypothermia, a treatment used in TBI for many decades, has recently been found to be associated with neutral or unfavourable clinical outcomes despite apparently promising preclinical research. Systematic review and meta‐analysis is a tool to summarize literature and observe trends in experimental design and quality that underpin its general conclusions. Here we aim to use these techniques to describe the use of hypothermia in animal TBI models, collating data relating to outcome and both study design and quality. From here we intend to observe correlations between features and attempt to explain any discrepancies found between animal and clinical data. This protocol describes the relevant methodology in detail.