Potential placebo bias in current trials of delirium prevention: a network meta-analysis of 86 randomized controlled trials.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

Numerous network meta-analyses (NMAs) have reported inconsistent findings on the efficacy of various pharmacologic treatments for delirium prevention in high-risk patients. A potential confounder was the study design-using a placebo control or standard-of-care (SoC) control. We reexamined the incident delirium between SoC plus placebo and SoC alone in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on delirium prevention.

Methods

We systematically searched for relevant RCTs on pharmacotherapies for delirium prevention from the inception of electronic databases through 30 November 2023. The primary outcome was delirium incidence, with secondary consideration given to all-cause mortality. We conducted a frequentist NMA using risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as the

SUBMITTER: Zeng BY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12319638 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature