anurajms/meta_analysis huggingface dataset:
primary outcome:
Traction for low‐back pain with or without sciatica
The four primary outcome measures that we considered to be the most important were pain intensity (e.g. measured by a visual analogue scale (VAS) or a numerical rating scale (NRS)), back‐pain‐specific functional status (e.g. measured by the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire or Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)), a global measure of improvement (e.g. overall improvement, proportion of participants recovered, subjective improvement of symptoms) and return to work (e.g. measured by return to work status or days off work). We also considered reported adverse effects.These outcomes could be measured immediately after the end of one traction session, immediately after a course of traction sessions, in the short‐term after the end of the traction sessions (up to three months), or in the long‐term (around one year).
primary outcome:
Dressings for superficial and partial thickness burns
Time to complete wound healing/proportion of burns completely healed in a specified time period.Change in wound surface area over time/proportion of wounds partly healed in a specified time period.
primary outcome:
Inhaled corticosteroids for subacute and chronic cough in adults
Proportion of participants with clinical cure or significant improvement (over 70% reduction in cough severity measure) at follow up (clinical success).
primary outcome:
Nurse versus physician‐led care for the management of asthma
Frequency of exacerbations.Asthma severity and symptoms: measured by validated asthma control questionnaires (e.g. Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) (Juniper 1999; Juniper 2006) or Asthma Control Test (ACT) (Schatz 2006).Healthcare costs; direct and indirect.
primary outcome:
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy versus retrograde intrarenal surgery for treatment of renal stones in adults
Stone‐free rate (dichotomous outcome)Definition: participants with documented passage of all stones of a given size from the kidney and ureter based on imaging (non‐contrast CT, KUB). For the primary analysis, we used the definition of stone freedom chosen by the investigators. For the preplanned sensitivity analyses, we used more stringent definitions (Sensitivity analysis).Timing of outcome assessment: up to 90 days following PCNL or RIRSMCID: 5% absolute difference in stone freedomMajor complications (dichotomous outcome)Definition: participants developing intraoperative or postoperative complications requiring additional surgical or radiological intervention, or complications that cause single‐ or multi‐organ dysfunction or death. We considered major complications to be those of grade III or higher in the Clavien‐Dindo classification (Dindo 2004).Timing of outcome assessment: any point during treatment or follow‐upMCID: 2% absolute difference in major complication rateSecondary interventions (dichotomous outcome)Definition: unplanned additional procedures or treatments needed to attain successful stone clearance or to treat intraoperative or postoperative complications following completion of the initial procedureTiming of outcome assessment: up to 90 days following PCNL or RIRSMCID: 5% absolute difference in retreatment rates
primary outcome:
Totally tubeless, tubeless, and tubed percutaneous nephrolithotomy for treating kidney stones
Severe adverse events (SAEs)Postoperative pain
primary outcome:
Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers for adults with early (stage 1 to 3) non‐diabetic chronic kidney disease
Death (any cause)CVD events, including total CVD events (fatal and non‐fatal), death, stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), cerebrovascular accident, congestive heart failure, and transient ischaemic attack (TIA))ESKD including KRT
primary outcome:
Interventions for improving health literacy in people with chronic kidney disease
Progression of kidney disease (change in GFR, doubling of serum creatinine, progression of CKD stage)Health literacy (improvement on an accepted health literacy measurement tool, knowledge, skills, self‐management, involvement with care)
primary outcome:
Interventions for treating catheter‐related bloodstream infections in people receiving maintenance haemodialysis
Cure: clinical resolution associated with negative blood cultures at least 72 hours after completion of systemic antibiotic treatmentStenosis or thrombosis of vascular access site after catheter removal: narrowing or occlusion of a central vein used for tunnelled and cuffed CVC insertion (e.g. internal jugular vein, subclavian vein, femoral vein).
primary outcome:
Interventions for minimal change disease in adults with nephrotic syndrome
The number of patients who achieved complete remission during and following therapy (i.e. oedema free and proteinuria < 1+ (on dipstick), or urinary protein:creatinine ratio (UPCR) < 0.03 g/mmol or complete remission as defined by the investigators).
primary outcome:
Non‐pharmacological interventions for preventing clotting of extracorporeal circuits during continuous renal replacement therapy
Circuit lifespan (commences at the point of starting CKRT and concludes upon circuit cessation for any reason)Death (any cause) at day 28 of follow‐up or last reported time point
primary outcome:
Aldosterone antagonists for people with chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis
Death (any cause)*Death (cardiovascular)*Cardiovascular* and cerebrovascular morbidity including but not limited to myocardial infarction, stroke, congestive heart failureHyperkalaemia
primary outcome:
Pharmacological interventions for preventing clotting of extracorporeal circuits during continuous renal replacement therapy
Major bleeding: incidence of major bleeding, defined as bleeding requiring blood transfusion, or as defined by the authorsSuccessful prevention of clotting: successful prevention of clotting is defined as no need for circuit change in the first 24 hours for any reason. If a study did not report the outcome with the timeframe of 24 hours, we adopted other time frames used in the study.Death: death from any cause at day 28. If a study did not report an outcome with the timeframe of 28 days, we adopted hospital death, ICU death or death within the study period in this order of priority.
primary outcome:
Alpha‐blockers after shock wave lithotripsy for renal or ureteral stones in adults
Stone clearance (dichotomous outcome).Auxiliary treatment (dichotomous outcome).Major adverse events (dichotomous outcome).
primary outcome:
Aldosterone antagonists in addition to renin angiotensin system antagonists for preventing the progression of chronic kidney disease
Kidney failure (defined as permanent worsening in eGFR requiring kidney replacement therapy)Hyperkalaemia (defined as serum potassium > 5.0 mEq/L or mmol/L)
primary outcome:
Calcium channel blockers for people with chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis
Cardiovascular deathPredialysis blood pressure (systolic and diastolic)Intradialytic hypotension.
primary outcome:
Oral protein‐based supplements versus placebo or no treatment for people with chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis
Serum albumin: change in serum albumin level and serum albumin at end of interventionOther measures of nutritional status (serum prealbumin, weight, body mass index, triceps skinfold thickness, mid‐arm circumference, mid‐arm muscle circumference, lean mass)DeathIntolerance to therapy
primary outcome:
Interventions for preventing bone disease in kidney transplant recipients
The primary efficacy outcome was fracture identified by radiographic examinationThe primary safety outcome was acute graft rejection.
primary outcome:
Dialysate temperature reduction for intradialytic hypotension for people with chronic kidney disease requiring haemodialysis
IDH rate (the proportion of dialysis sessions with episodes of IDH during follow‐up) was defined as follows.Intradialytic decrease in systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 20 mmHg or more, or a decrease in mean arterial pressure (MAP) by 10 mmHg associated with symptoms that include abdominal discomfort, yawning, sighing, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, restlessness, dizziness, and anxiety (K/DOQI 2005).Decrease in SBP by 20 mmHg or more, or in MAP by 10 mmHg or more, associated with a clinical event and the need for nursing intervention (Kooman 2007).Drop in SBP to < 90 mmHg or an absolute value > 30 mmHg, associated with symptoms of hypotension and lack of response to the supine position, but necessitating resuscitation with intravenous normotonic or hypertonic fluid administration (Tisler 2003).Decrease in SBP of at least 10 mmHg or a SBP of < 100 mmHg, with symptoms such as cramps, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness (Fortin 2010).Drop in SBP < 90 mmHg or of at least 20 mmHg with accompanying clinical symptoms (Maheshwari 2015).Hypotensive episode requiring either saline infusion, lowering of the ultrafiltration rate (UF) or reduction in blood flow during the HD session (Mc Causland 2013).Intradialytic decrease in SBP by > 30 mmHg to a level of < 90 mmHg (Sands 2014).40 mmHg drop in SBP (Shoji 2004).We also accepted criteria that was similar to the above.Death (all causes)Discomfort rate defined as a cold sensation, shivering, and related symptoms.
primary outcome:
Catheter type, placement and insertion techniques for preventing catheter‐related infections in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients
Peritonitis: number of patients with peritonitis (peritonitis defined as dialysate count of > 100 cells/mm3 with > 50% being polymorphonuclear leukocytes) and peritonitis rateExit‐site and tunnel infection: number of patients with exit‐site and tunnel infection and exit‐site and tunnel infection rates.
primary outcome:
Alpha‐blockers as medical expulsive therapy for ureteral stones
Stone clearance (dichotomous outcome defined as percentage of participants identified as stone‐free by diagnostic imaging on the last day of the study trial, or participants who were symptom‐free at the end of the trial, or participants who had expelled their stone and brought it with them to the follow‐up visit)Major adverse events (dichotomous outcome defined as the number of participants who experienced orthostatic hypotension, collapse, syncope, palpitations, or tachycardia)
primary outcome:
Medical and dietary interventions for preventing recurrent urinary stones in children
Proportion of participants who developed a new urinary stone (recurrence rate/participant/year) after initiation of intervention as documented by ultrasound, X‐ray or CT imaging.Proportion of participants with adverse events while undergoing medical or dietary intervention for recurrent idiopathic stone disease (e.g. hypokalemia, hyperkalemia, allergic reaction such as skin rash, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, hypotension and elevations in serum uric acid).Proportion of participants undergoing retreatment for urinary stones.
primary outcome:
Uric acid lowering therapies for preventing or delaying the progression of chronic kidney disease
End‐stage kidney disease (ESKD) as defined by study (commencement of dialysis, transplantation)SCr levelGFR
primary outcome:
Terlipressin versus other vasoactive drugs for hepatorenal syndrome
Mortality (all‐cause).Hepatorenal syndrome (persistent hepatorenal syndrome despite treatment).Serious adverse events: defined as any untoward medical occurrence that led to death, was life‐threatening, or required hospitalisation or prolongation of hospitalisation (ICH‐GCP 1997). We assessed serious adverse events as a composite outcome and conducted analyses of individual serious adverse events.
primary outcome:
Continuous erythropoiesis receptor activator (CERA) for the anaemia of chronic kidney disease
Clinical outcomesOne or more major adverse cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction; stroke; heart failure; need for any revascularisation including coronary, carotid or peripheral vascular)One or more hospital admissions (all‐cause, cardiovascular, vascular access)Vascular access thrombosis (≥ 1 events)Cardiovascular mortalityAll‐cause mortalityCancer (onset of new documented cancer, or as defined by the investigators).Quality of lifeEnd of treatment scores according to any measurement tool. If studies report heterogeneous outcomes, we tabulated the results when meta‐analysis was not possible.Adverse eventsSeizures (≥1 event)Hyperkalaemia (≥1 event)Hypertension (as defined by investigators; one or more events requiring additional antihypertensive medication) (≥ 1 event)Injection‐related events (e.g. infection, lipodystrophy, pain).
primary outcome:
Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies for treating acute rejection episodes in kidney transplant recipients
Reversal of acute rejectionTime to reversalRecurrent rejection after the intervention rejection episode had been treatedTime to re‐rejection.
primary outcome:
Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies for induction therapy in kidney transplant recipients
Death (all cause)Graft loss (defined as dependence on dialysis, graft loss censored for death with a functioning allograft)Graft loss including death with a functioning graftIncidence of acute rejection of kidney (analysed as combined outcome for clinical suspicion, biopsy‐proven and steroid resistant).
primary outcome:
Short‐acting erythropoiesis‐stimulating agents for anaemia in predialysis patients
DeathAll‐cause mortalityMortality due to cardiac disease or cerebrovascular eventsMeasures of correction of anaemiaValues of Hb/HCT or change in Hb/HCT at the end of the studyQuality of life.
primary outcome:
Interventions for chronic kidney disease‐associated restless legs syndrome
The effects of interventions in reducing symptom severity due to RLS in people with CKD and potential complications related to the use of such interventions.
primary outcome:
Steroid avoidance or withdrawal for kidney transplant recipients
All‐cause mortalityGraft loss or death with a functioning graft; and graft loss censored for death with a functioning graft (loss of graft function resulting in either return to dialysis or retransplantation)Acute rejection (clinically suspected and treated) and biopsy‐proven acute rejection.
primary outcome:
Isolation as a strategy for controlling the transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in haemodialysis units
Incidence of dialysis‐acquired HCV infectionAll‐cause mortalityAdverse effects associated to the isolation strategy (such as negative effects on patient mental well‐being, or adverse effects related to supportive care failures).
primary outcome:
Normal saline versus lower‐chloride solutions for kidney transplantation
Delayed graft function, defined as the need for dialysis within seven days of kidney transplant surgery or failure of the serum creatinine to fall by 20% within 72 hours.Clinically significant hyperkalaemia, defined as serum potassium > 5.5 mmol/L, or any hyperkalaemia requiring treatment (e.g. with dialysis, calcium gluconate, insulin, B₂ agonists, or ion‐exchange resins) within the first 72 hours post‐transplant.
primary outcome:
Interventions for lowering plasma homocysteine levels in dialysis patients
Cardiovascular mortality
primary outcome:
Laparoendoscopic single‐site donor nephrectomy (LESS‐DN) versus standard laparoscopic donor nephrectomy
Operative timesEstimated intra‐operative blood lossPostoperative pain scoresComplications.
primary outcome:
Antidepressants for treating depression in adults with end‐stage kidney disease treated with dialysis
Health‐related quality of lifeAdverse events.
primary outcome:
Anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents for preventing central venous haemodialysis catheter malfunction in patients with end‐stage kidney disease
Reported thrombotic outcomes: Incidence of catheter malfunction presumed due to thrombosis defined as a persistent inability to achieve a blood flow of greater than 200 mL/min despite positional changes of the patient and additional flushing or both, or as defined by the study authors.
primary outcome:
Pre‐emptive correction for haemodialysis arteriovenous access stenosis
Primary (unassisted) patency: the event of interest was the first cause of dysfunction (i.e. thrombosis or imminent thrombosis), which could be remediable or irremediable, or the first intervention required to salvage the access (regardless of whether it was successful or unsuccessful).Secondary (assisted) patency: the event of interest is the final (irremediable) access failure, leading to abandonment of the access (i.e. access loss), regardless of previous procedures performed to prolong the life of the access up to that point.
primary outcome:
Early versus delayed erythropoietin for the anaemia of end‐stage kidney disease
All‐cause mortalityCardiovascular mortalityQuality of life (end of treatment scores obtained using validated tools such as the Kidney Disease Quality of Life tool or others as mentioned in the studies).
primary outcome:
Mycophenolic acid versus azathioprine as primary immunosuppression for kidney transplant recipients
Graft loss and all‐cause mortality were considered primary outcomes of interest in terms of efficacy and safety, respectively.
primary outcome:
Amphotericin B deoxycholate versus liposomal amphotericin B: effects on kidney function
Increase in serum creatinine (SCr) level ≥ than two‐fold from baseline.
primary outcome:
Citrate salts for preventing and treating calcium containing kidney stones in adults
Reduction in stone size (reduced residual fragments or complete disappearance) or reduction in stone recurrence rate (new stone formation) documented on plain abdominal radiography or intravenous urography or computerised tomography (CT) at 6, 12 and 24 months after commencement of treatment.Stability of stone disease documented on plain abdominal radiography or intravenous urography or CT at 6, 12 and 24 months after commencement of treatment.
primary outcome:
Dietary interventions for mineral and bone disorder in people with chronic kidney disease
MortalityCardiovascular eventsFracture.
primary outcome:
Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and non‐opioids for acute renal colic
The primary objective of this review was to explore the analgesic efficacy of non‐opioids medications commonly used to treat acute renal colic. The degree of pain relief achieved by study medications was explored and when possible different analgesics were compared. Therefore the primary outcome were:Change in pain scores within the first hourProportion of patients with significant pain relief (see below)Proportion of patients who needed rescue medication (opioids, another type of analgesic medications or a second dose of the same study treatment) within 6 hours observation periodRate of pain recurrence
primary outcome:
Haemodiafiltration, haemofiltration and haemodialysis for end‐stage kidney disease
All‐cause mortality.
primary outcome:
Interventions for lowering plasma homocysteine levels in kidney transplant recipients
Cardiovascular mortality
primary outcome:
Bicarbonate‐ versus lactate‐buffered solutions for acute continuous haemodiafiltration or haemofiltration
Mortality: death before ICU discharge; death before hospital dischargeLength of time in ICUTotal length of hospital stayRelapse: return of signs or symptoms following RRT.
primary outcome:
Loop diuretics for patients receiving blood transfusions
TACO, characterised by any four of the following outcomes during or within six hours of transfusion (Popovsky 2004).Acute respiratory distressTachycardiaIncreased blood pressureAcute or worsening pulmonary oedema evident on frontal chest x‐rayEvidence of positive fluid balanceTRALI, defined as new onset acute lung injury during or within six hours of transfusion with no evidence of circulatory overload and no temporal relationship to other acute lung injury risk factors (Kleinman 2004; Toy 2005).
primary outcome:
Belatacept for kidney transplant recipients
The following binary outcome measures were considered.The following continuous outcomes were analysed.
primary outcome:
Oral adsorbents for preventing or delaying the progression of chronic kidney disease
Incidence of ESKD at end of treatment and follow‐upTime to ESKDAll‐cause mortality.
primary outcome:
Androgens for the anaemia of chronic kidney disease in adults
MortalityMeasures of anaemia correction, such as Hb and HCT values.
primary outcome:
Dietary interventions for preventing complications in idiopathic hypercalciuria
Reduction in stone formation: stone rate or calcium stone recurrence, or increases in numbers of stone‐free patients. Stone rate was defined as the number of stones per patient per year over a minimum duration of one year. New stone occurrence was defined by radiography, ultrasonography, pyelography or helical CT scan. All patients were stone‐free before therapyReduction in episodes of renal colicIncrease or no reduction in bone mass: dual‐energy X‐ray, absorptiometry over a minimum duration of one yearReduction in urinary symptoms: incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI), haematuria, dysuria, or enuresis in children over a minimum duration of six monthsImprovement in quality of life in terms of days in hospital, days off work or school.
primary outcome:
HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) for kidney transplant recipients
Cardiovascular mortality
primary outcome:
Lipid‐lowering agents for nephrotic syndrome
All‐cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, non‐fatal myocardial infarction, strokeTotal serum cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, serum triglycerideBlood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr).
primary outcome:
Percussion, diuresis, and inversion therapy for the passage of lower pole kidney stones following shock wave lithotripsy
Success: Stone‐free. No visible residual stones, documented with plain abdominal radiography, intravenous urography, or computerised tomography, one, three, and six months after initial therapyEffectiveness: Stone burden reduction after treatment, documented with plain abdominal radiography, intravenous urography, or computerised tomography before initial therapy, one, three, and six months after initial therapy.
primary outcome:
Higher versus lower fractions of inspired oxygen or targets of arterial oxygenation for adults admitted to the intensive care unit
All‐cause mortality at maximum follow‐up.Proportion of participants with one or more serious adverse events (SAEs), defined as a dichotomous outcome according to participants having at least one SAE or none at maximum follow‐up. We defined an SAE as any untoward medical occurrence that: resulted in death; was life‐threatening; required hospitalisation, or prolongation of existing hospitalisation; resulted in persistent or significant disability; or jeopardised the participant, according to the International Conference on Harmonisation Good Clinical Practice (ICH‐GCP 1997). We considered all other adverse events as non‐serious (ICH‐GCP 1997). We performed two analyses being the highest proportion reported of any specific SAE and the cumulated number of SAEs. As secondary analyses, we analysed each SAE separately, and conducted an analysis including only trials specifically reporting 'proportion of participants with one or more SAEs'.Quality of life (any valid scale such as the 36‐item Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36)) at maximum follow‐up.
primary outcome:
Nicotine receptor partial agonists for smoking cessation
Abstinence from smoked tobacco at longest follow‐up, at least six months from study baseline. We used the strictest definition of abstinence reported in each study (e.g. prolonged or continuous over point prevalence), and where available, we favoured biochemically validated over self‐reported abstinence. We only included studies that measured abstinence from tobacco smoking at six months or longer from baseline.Number of participants who experienced the following adverse events: nausea, insomnia, abnormal dreams, headache, depression, and suicidal ideationNumber of participants who experienced serious adverse events as defined by the authors of included studiesNumber of participants who experienced neuropsychiatric serious adverse eventsNumber of participants who experienced cardiac serious adverse events.
primary outcome:
Long‐acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) plus long‐acting beta‐agonist (LABA) versus LABA plus inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Exacerbations (participants with one or more)Serious adverse events (participants with one or more)Quality of life, as measured by the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) total score change from baselineTrough forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) change from baseline
primary outcome:
Inhaled corticosteroids versus placebo  for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Exacerbations of COPDQuality of life
primary outcome:
Exercise‐based rehabilitation programmes for pulmonary hypertension
Exercise capacityMeasures of exercise capacity included, but were not confined to, outcomes such as the six‐minute walk distance (6MWD), peak exercise capacity (VO2peak), peak power (Wpeak) and measures derived during the assessment of exercise capacity such as breathing efficiency (VE/VCO2 slope) and anaerobic thresholdSerious adverse events during the intervention period. We used this measure to assess the short‐term safety of exercise training in PH. We defined adverse events as:mortality during the exercise/control intervention period;disease progression, defined according to the investigators' definition;symptoms precluding training, such as illness, lightheadedness, syncope or presyncope; anddiscontinuation of the studyHealth‐related quality of life (HRQoL) measured by any validated generic or disease‐specific quality‐of‐life measure
primary outcome:
Pharmacological treatment for central sleep apnoea in adults
Central apnoea‐hypopnoea index (cAHI), defined as the number of central apnoea and hypopnoea events per hour of sleep, measured objectively by polysomnographyCardiovascular mortality, defined as the number of deaths attributable to myocardial ischaemia and infarction, heart failure, cardiac arrest because of other or unknown cause, or cerebrovascular accident (Carrero 2011)Serious adverse events, defined as those leading to death, life‐threatening events, hospitalisation, disability or permanent damage, congenital anomaly, or intervention to prevent permanent impairment or damage
primary outcome:
Inspiratory muscle training, with or without concomitant pulmonary rehabilitation, for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Dyspnea: the essential scale for our primary analysis is the Borg scale (Borg 1982). We only included the Borg score when it was measured at isotime. We analysed all the scales reported by the trials as long as they were validated, and when possible, we combined them in a meta‐analysis. The other included scales were: Baseline and Transition Dyspnea Indexes (BDI‐TDI) (Mahler 2005), and Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) (Bestall 1999).Functional exercise capacity: this can be assessed through multiple tests. We did not exclude studies based on the test used. However, for our analysis, we considered that the most important measurement is the six‐minute walk distance (6MWD) (Holland 2014). Therefore, we included it in the summary of findings table and considered it for subgroup analysis. We included other tests and reported them either in qualitative or quantitative analysis.Health‐related quality of life: we accepted any scales as long as they were validated. This includes the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) (Jones 1992), the chronic respiratory questionnaire (CRQ) (Wijkstra 1994) and the COPD assessment test (CAT) (Jones 2009).
primary outcome:
Immunostimulants versus placebo for preventing exacerbations in adults with chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Number of participants with no exacerbations during the study period.Mortality (all‐cause).
primary outcome:
Non‐invasive positive pressure ventilation for central sleep apnoea in adults
Central apnoea hypopnoea index (cAHI)Cardiovascular mortalitySerious adverse events
primary outcome:
Pulmonary rehabilitation versus usual care for adults with asthma
Exercise performance: this was derived from tests of maximal exercise capacity (e.g. incremental cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPETinc), incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT)) and functional exercise capacity (e.g. 6‐minute walk test (6MWT), constant work rate (CPETcwr), endurance shuttle walk test (ESWT)). The principal metrics of interest for these tests were peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) and peak work rate (WRmax) for CPETinc tests; distance in metres for ISWT and 6MWT; and time in seconds for CPETcwr and ESWT. All measures were reported upon completion of the PR intervention and the latest time point up to 12 months after completion of the intervention.Asthma control (e.g. Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) or Asthma Control Test (ACT)): this was reported upon completion of the PR intervention, and the latest time point up to 12 months after completion of the intervention.Health‐related quality of life: measured via disease‐specific questionnaires (e.g. Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ), St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), Asthma Impact Survey, Living with Asthma Questionnaire, Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ)) or generic health questionnaires (e.g. 36‐item Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36), Euro‐Qol). We used both total scores and symptom‐specific subdomain scores but reported them separately. We analysed data from disease‐specific and generic instruments separately. We considered disease‐specific quality of life total scores to be the principal analysis of interest. All measures were reported upon completion of the PR intervention, and the latest time point up to 12 months after completion of the intervention.
primary outcome:
Magnesium sulfate for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Proportion of people with hospital admissions (from the emergency room)Proportion of people requiring non‐invasive ventilation (NIV), assisted ventilation or admission to intensive‐care unit (ICU)Proportion of people with serious adverse events
primary outcome:
Interventions for preventing weight gain after smoking cessation
There are two primary outcome measures:Both outcomes are fully examined for studies that fit the criteria for Part 1. For Part 2 studies, effects of these interventions on smoking are reported in the parent Cochrane Reviews and we only report the effects of interventions on weight change.For Part 1 studies of pharmacotherapies, we also evaluate adverse events and serious adverse events. We do not evaluate adverse and serious adverse events for behavioural interventions, following standard Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group guidance. Information on adverse and serious adverse events for Part 2 studies can be found in the Cochrane Reviews on the relevant interventions (see Search methods for identification of studies).
primary outcome:
Non‐invasive positive airway pressure therapy for improving erectile dysfunction in men with obstructive sleep apnoea
Remission of EDSerious adverse events
primary outcome:
Supervised maintenance programmes following pulmonary rehabilitation compared to usual care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
HRQoL, measured via disease‐specific questionnaires (e.g. St George's Respiratory Questionnaire, Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire) or generic health questionnaires (i.e. 36‐item Short Form, Euro‐QoL)Exercise capacity measured by field exercise tests (e.g. 6‐minute walk test, shuttle walk tests) or laboratory exercise tests (e.g. cardiopulmonary exercise test)All‐cause hospitalisation, as defined by trialists. We extracted the number of participants who required hospital admission, or the hospitalisation rate, or both.
primary outcome:
Chronic non‐invasive ventilation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Change in daytime arterial blood gas tensions (partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2))Change in exercise capacity, measured with the six‐minute walking distance (6MWD)Change in HRQL, measured with the Severe Respiratory Insufficiency questionnaire (SRI) (Windisch 2003) or the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) (Jones 1991)Change in daytime arterial blood gas tensions (PaO2 and PaCO2)Change in HRQL, measured with the SRI or the SGRQAdmission‐free survival, time to readmission or death of any cause
primary outcome:
Glucocorticoid with cyclophosphamide for oral paraquat poisoning
Otherwise we reported findings in the short term (typically at hospital discharge, which of necessity varied between participants), and longer term (three months after discharge in the one trial that reported any follow‐up), as appropriate.
primary outcome:
Combination fixed‐dose beta agonist and steroid inhaler as required for adults or children with mild asthma
Exacerbations requiring systemic steroids.Hospital admissions/emergency department or urgent care visits for asthma.Measures of asthma control: in order of preference Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ), Asthma Control Test (ACT), symptom‐free days.
primary outcome:
Interventions for tobacco cessation delivered by dental professionals
Abstinence from tobacco (tobacco cigarettes, smokeless tobacco or all tobacco) at long‐term follow‐up (dichotomous)
primary outcome:
Telerehabilitation for chronic respiratory disease
Exercise capacity, measured by a laboratory test or standardised field testAdverse events (e.g. musculoskeletal injuries, falls, medical emergencies)Dyspnoea (any validated measure, including isotime measures from exercise tests)Quality of life (generic or disease‐specific)
primary outcome:
Prophylactic antibiotics for adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a network meta‐analysis
COPD exacerbation* (we extracted data on time until first exacerbation, estimated using hazard ratios (HRs) as a preference, followed by rate ratio data and numbers of participants with one or more exacerbations)Quality of life (St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ))All‐cause serious adverse events (number of participants with one or more adverse event)Drug resistance/Microbial sensitivity (we did not perform NMA on this outcome, but we reported results for this outcome narratively)Mortality (we anticipated that events would be rare, so we did not perform NMA on this outcome, but we reported results for this outcome narratively)
primary outcome:
Anti‐IL‐5 therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
All exacerbationsHospitalisations due to COPD exacerbationSerious adverse eventsQuality of life (as measured on a validated scale, e.g. St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) or Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ))
primary outcome:
Proton pump inhibitors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Exacerbations of COPD, reported as exacerbation rate or as time to first exacerbation after administration of PPIsWe extracted the definition used for an COPD exacerbation from the included study. If we had found the definition across studies to be inconsistent, we would have considered the impact on the overall result when applying GRADE ratings (Higgins 2017).Pneumonia and other serious adverse events (we planned to report pneumonia and other serious events separately)Our definition of a serious adverse event follows that of established criteria, which is an untoward medical incident that leads to death, is life‐threatening, requires hospitalisation or prolongs existing hospitalisation, results in persistent or significant disability, a birth defect, or any important medical event that might jeopardise the participant or requires intervention to prevent its effects (ICH 2016).
primary outcome:
Phosphodiesterase‐4 inhibitors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Changes in lung function from baseline including forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁), forced vital capacity (FVC), or peak expiratory flow (PEF)Quality of life (e.g. total score on St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ))
primary outcome:
Interventions for promoting physical activity in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Studies had to include variable(s) that reflected participation in physical activity or sedentary behaviour, as measured objectively using a pedometer, accelerometer or activity monitor. Outcomes of interest included but were not limited to step count, activity counts, energy expenditure and physical activity time (different intensities, range of thresholds used). Primary time points were at baseline (prior to start) and at the time of intervention completion; we used change in physical activity from baseline for analysis where possible. We also categorised any follow‐up measurements reported following intervention completion as either short‐term (within one month), medium‐term (between one and six months) or long‐term (longer than six months). We sought raw data from the study authors where possible to facilitate comparisons.
primary outcome:
Educational, supportive and behavioural interventions to improve usage of continuous positive airway pressure machines in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea
microprocessor and monitor that measure pressure at the mask for every minute of each 24‐hour day;counter output that records the cumulative time that power is turned on for a CPAP machine (this does not provide information on actual time of day and duration of CPAP used during each 24‐hour period);subjective participant reports of the duration of CPAP use.
primary outcome:
Breathing exercises for adults with asthma
Quality of life
primary outcome:
Oxygen therapy in the pre‐hospital setting for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Mortality (respiratory‐related and all‐cause)
primary outcome:
Pressure modification or humidification for improving usage of continuous positive airway pressure machines in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea
counter output that records the cumulative time that power is turned on to a CPAP machine (this does not provide information on actual time of day and duration of CPAP used each 24‐hour period);microprocessor and monitor that measures the pressure at the mask;subjective participant reports of the duration of CPAP use.
primary outcome:
Pharmacological agents for adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome
Early all‐cause mortality (at or before three months after randomization). We included ICU and hospital mortality in this outcome.
primary outcome:
Positional therapy for obstructive sleep apnoea
Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)/symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness (Kapur 2017)Apnoea‐Hypopnoea Index (AHI) (Kapur 2017)Adherence rate
primary outcome:
Once daily long‐acting beta2‐agonists and long‐acting muscarinic antagonists in a combined inhaler versus placebo for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
All‐cause mortality.Serious Adverse Events (SAE) of any cause.Acute Exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD).Respiratory Health‐related Quality of Life (HRQoL), as measured by theSt. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ).Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ).
primary outcome:
Print‐based self‐help interventions for smoking cessation
We used sustained abstinence, or point prevalence, where available. We included studies that used self‐report of cessation alone or biochemically validated cessation.
primary outcome:
Combined aclidinium bromide and long‐acting beta2‐agonist for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Exacerbations requiring a short course of an oral steroid or antibiotic, or both.Quality of life as measured by a validated scale, St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) or the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ).Non‐fatal serious adverse events (SAE) such as any adverse event that is life‐threatening or places the participant at immediate risk of death; requires in‐patient hospitalisation or prolongs hospitalisation; causes persistent or significant disability/incapacity (i.e. a substantial disruption in an individual’s ability to conduct normal life functions); results in congenital anomalies or birth defects; or other medically important conditions which investigators judge to represent significant hazards
primary outcome:
Active mind‐body movement therapies as an adjunct to or in comparison with pulmonary rehabilitation for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Disease‐specific quality of life (all validated tools were considered, e.g. Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ), St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), COPD Assessment Test (CAT))Generic health‐related quality of life (e.g. Short Form (SF)‐36)Dyspnoea (all validated tools were considered, e.g. Medical Research Council (MRC) Scale, BORG Scale, Transitional Dyspnoea Index (TDI), Dyspnoea domain of the CRQ))Serious adverse events (all types)
primary outcome:
Once‐daily long‐acting beta₂‐agonists/inhaled corticosteroids combined inhalers versus inhaled long‐acting muscarinic antagonists for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Mortality, all‐causeAny COPD exacerbation that requires short‐burst oral corticosteroids or antibiotics, or bothPneumonia and other serious adverse events
primary outcome:
Enhancing partner support to improve smoking cessation
The primary outcome was abstinence in the target smoker (not the partner). The outcome was either self‐reported or biochemically‐verified abstinence (carbon monoxide levels, saliva cotinine/thiocyanate), assessed at least six months post baseline. We preferred validated abstinence over self‐reported abstinence. We collected abstinence outcomes at two post‐treatment intervals where available: at six to nine months, and at 12 months or more.Our secondary outcome was the intermediate outcome of level of partner support, as assessed by the Partner Interaction Questionnaire (PIQ) or Support Provided Measure (SPM).
primary outcome:
Nicotine replacement therapy versus control for smoking cessation
The review evaluates the effects of NRT versus control on smoking cessation, rather than on withdrawal symptoms. We excluded trials that followed up participants for less than six months, except for trials amongst pregnant women, where the interval between enrolment and delivery may have been shorter (if less than six months, these were excluded from the main analysis). For each study we chose the strictest available criteria to define abstinence. For example, in studies where biochemical validation of cessation was available, we regard only those participants who met the criteria for biochemically‐confirmed abstinence as being abstinent. Wherever possible we chose a measure of sustained cessation rather than point prevalence. We regard people who were lost to follow‐up as being continuing smokers.

For the 2012 update and for this current update we collected data on adverse events in both the included and excluded studies, where they were reported. We have not attempted to pool these findings, apart from one meta‐analysis of reports of palpitations, tachycardia or chest pains.
We have not included trials that evaluated the effect of NRT for individuals who were attempting to reduce the number of cigarettes smoked rather than to quit in this review. They are covered by a separate review on harm reduction approaches (Lindson‐Hawley 2016).
primary outcome:
Self‐management for bronchiectasis
Health‐related quality of life using measures validated for people with bronchiectasis in a clinical setting (e.g. Bronchiectasis Severity Index (BSI; St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ))Exacerbations (requiring antibiotic therapy) measured as frequency, proportion with one or more, or durationSerious adverse events (i.e. any adverse even that results in death or is life‐threatening)
primary outcome:
Family and carer smoking control programmes for reducing children's exposure to environmental tobacco smoke
The primary outcome measures were children's exposure to tobacco smoke, child illness and health service utilisation, and the smoking behaviours of children's parents and carers. We included studies where the only outcome was parental or carer smoking status.We used biological verification of exposure to or absorption of ETS as the 'gold standard', but we did not require this as an inclusion criterion. Where biological verification of exposure/absorption conflicted with the parental report of exposure, we regarded the biologically verified result as correct.
primary outcome:
Singing for adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Health‐related quality of life, measured using total scores from either generic or respiratory‐specific quality‐of‐life questionnaires.Dyspnoea, measured using a dyspnoea scale (e.g. Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea scale (Bestall 1999)) or dyspnoea scores from a respiratory‐specific quality‐of‐life questionnaire (e.g. dyspnoea domain of the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (Guyatt 1987)), or both.
primary outcome:
Nursing interventions for smoking cessation
The primary outcome was smoking cessation rather than a reduction in withdrawal symptoms or a reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked. Trials had to report follow‐up of at least six months for inclusion in the review. We excluded trials which did not include data on smoking cessation rates. We used the strictest available criteria to define abstinence in each study, e.g. sustained cessation rather than point prevalence. Where biochemical validation was used, we regarded only participants meeting the biochemical criteria for cessation as abstainers. We counted participants lost to follow‐up as continuing smokers (in intention‐to‐treat analyses).
primary outcome:
Invasive versus non‐invasive ventilation for acute respiratory failure in neuromuscular disease and chest wall disorders
The primary outcome was short‐term (i.e. one‐month) survival after initiation of assisted ventilation.
primary outcome:
Inhaled magnesium sulfate in the treatment of acute asthma
Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and percentage predicted FEV1;Peak expiratory flow (PEF) and percentage predicted PEF.
primary outcome:
Mesenchymal stem cells for the prevention and treatment of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants
All comparisons (prevention and treatment trials)Mortality prior to hospital discharge (from any cause)Prevention trialsNeonatal mortality (mortality < 28 days of age) from any causeChronic lung disease/BPDOxygen requirement at 28 to 30 days of ageOxygen requirement at 36 weeks' postmenstrual ageDeath or chronic lung diseaseDeath or oxygen requirement at 28 to 30 days of ageDeath or oxygen requirement at 36 weeks' postmenstrual ageTreatment of evolving BPDOxygen requirement at 36 weeks' postmenstrual ageDeath or oxygen requirement at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age
primary outcome:
Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist compared to other forms of triggered ventilation for neonatal respiratory support
All‐cause mortalityBronchopulmonary dysplasia defined as an oxygen requirement at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age for infants of less than 32 weeks' gestational age, and defined as an oxygen requirement at 28 days’ postmenstrual age for infants of more than 32 weeks' gestational age (Jobe 2001)All‐cause mortality or bronchopulmonary dysplasia as previously defined
primary outcome:
Inhaled versus systemic corticosteroids for preventing bronchopulmonary dysplasia in ventilated very low birth weight preterm neonates
1. Death or BPD at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age (among all randomised)
primary outcome:
Inhaled versus systemic corticosteroids for the treatment of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in ventilated very low birth weight preterm infants
Death or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) at 36 weeks' postmenstrual age.
primary outcome:
Shared decision‐making for people with asthma
Asthma‐related quality of life (on a validated scale e.g. Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ))Patient/parent satisfactionMedication adherence
primary outcome:
Positive expiratory pressure therapy versus other airway clearance techniques for bronchiectasis
HRQOL, measured by disease‐specific, generic, or symptom‐specific questionnaires, which may or may not have been validated in this population.Rate of, duration of, or time to acute exacerbation of bronchiectasis, defined according to symptoms, physician diagnosis, or participant diaries.Incidence of hospitalisation for bronchiectasis.For stable bronchiectasis, this included time to hospitalisation, number of hospital admissions, or number of hospital days.For acute exacerbation of bronchiectasis, this included length of hospital stay, time to re‐admission, number of hospital admissions, or number of hospital days.