Journal Club Summary

catheter Methodology:  1/5         

Usefulness:  3/5
Marik PE, Flemmer M, Harrison W.
Crit Care Med. 2012 Aug;40(8):2479-85
 
This systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that there is no significant difference in the rates of catheter-related bloodstream infections when comparing subclavian, internal jugular, and femoral sites of line placement. The exclusion of peer-reviewed publications, without valid justification, and the inclusion of a non-peer reviewed database as the largest contributing “cohort study” prevented the group from agreeing with the authors’ conclusions; however, the overall very low rate of bloodstream infections in catheters placed at any site was an important finding. 
By: Dr. Magdalena Kisilewicz
(Presented December 2012)
 

Epi Lesson:  

When critically appraising systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses, the reader will find the QUOROM statement to be a helpful tool. This guide helps you assess adequacy of search strategy, article selection and quality assessment. Furthermore, it provides the key elements which should be reported to allow you to assess the overall validity of the results. This reporting template also assists authors of Systematic Literature Reviews and Meta-Analyses to both design and write-up their studies in a rigorous way. 
By: Dr. Lisa Calder
 
Image Source: 

http://visualsonline.cancer.gov/details.cfm?imageid=2230

 

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