Tuyển tập các báo cáo nghiên cứu về y học được đăng trên tạp chí y học Critical Care giúp cho các bạn có thêm kiến thức về y học đề tài: The limitations of observational studies on the treatment of severe sepsis. | Critical Care December 2002 Vol 6 No 6 Wiedermann Letter The limitations of observational studies on the treatment of severe sepsis Christian J Wiedermann Director of Service of Emergency Medicine and Medical Intensive Care Division of General Internal Medicine Department of Internal Medicine University of Innsbruck Innsbruck Austria Correspondence Christian J Wiedermann Published online 24 October 2002 Critical Care 2002 6 546-547 DOI cc1838 This article is online at http content 6 6 546 2002 BioMed Central Ltd Print ISSN 1364-8535 Online ISSN 1466-609X Abstract Observational studies usually agree with randomised controlled trials. It is a logical fallacy however to suggest that agreement in one direction implies prediction in the other direction. Observational studies are not scientifically capable of proving or disproving hypotheses such as the efficacy and safety of the treatment of severe sepsis with antithrombin. Observational studies are difficult to analyse and interpret because of the heterogeneity of real-life patient populations the lack of standardised treatment regimens the lack of standardised indications for treatment and the lack of predefined endpoints. Keywords antithrombin heparin meta-analysis mortality randomised controlled trial Messori and colleagues are to be congratulated on their interesting report on the Italian observational study of antithrombin III AT III use in intensive care units 1 . Audits of this sort are difficult and time consuming to conduct. Observational studies are also difficult to analyse and interpret because of the heterogeneity of real-life patient populations the lack of standardised treatment regimens the lack of standardised indications for treatment and the lack of predefined endpoints for assessing survival . 28 day survival or in-hospital mortality . For these reasons we take issue with Messori and colleagues over the very strong conclusion they draw on the .
