1. Exposure definition (sepsis)
| |
i) Consensus [7, 8, 28–32, 35, 37, 39, 40, 44, 45, 47–50, 63–74]
|
49 %
|
ii) Claims/ICD codes [11, 24–26, 38, 41, 58, 75–77]
|
14 %
|
iii) Pathogen-plus (either positive blood culture or pathogen specified) [27, 34, 36, 46, 53, 78–81]
|
20 %
|
iv) Pneumonia [33, 40, 42, 43, 52, 82–85]
|
15 %
|
v) Peritonitis [21, 51, 86]
|
5 %
|
2. Ascertainment of exposure
| |
i) Claims/ICD codes data
|
13 %
|
ii) Randomized controlled trial cohorts [44, 45, 63, 66, 69, 70]
|
10 %
|
iii) Non-interventional study cohorts
|
75 %
|
3. Selection of the control cohort
| |
i) Drawn from ICU patients without sepsis
| |
a. Matched [35]
|
2 %
|
b. Not matched [7, 25, 30–32, 37, 41]
|
12 %
|
ii) Drawn from hospitalized infected patients (not ICU)
| |
a. Matched
| |
b. Not matched [30, 41]
|
3 %
|
iii) Drawn from hospitalized non-infected patients (not ICU)
| |
a. Matched [36]
|
2 %
|
b. Not matched [30, 34, 38–41]
|
10 %
|
iv) Population controls
| |
a. Matched [30, 33, 37, 41–43]
|
10 %
|
b. Not matched [40, 41]
|
3 %
|
v) No control cohorts/no controls for mortality comparison
|
73 %
|
4. Comparability of cohorts on the basis of design or analysis
| |
i) Regression models to adjust for confounders
| |
a. Regression models in studies reporting control population
| |
- Post-acute mortality [7, 25, 30, 33–37, 39, 42]
|
16 %
|
- Cumulative mortality
| |
- Stratified analysis for post-acute mortality [32, 40, 42, 43]
|
5 %
|
- Non-mortality outcome models [31, 38, 41]
|
5 %
|
b. Regression models using in studies with no controls
| |
- Post-acute mortality
|
22 %
|
- Cumulative mortality
|
20 %
|
- No mortality model
|
31 %
|
ii) Studies reporting sepsis dose-response [39, 46, 49, 52, 53]
|
9 %
|
5. Assessment of post-acute mortality
| |
i) Record linkage with national or regional databases or outcome assessed by contact with patient or relatives
|
90 %
|
ii) No description
|
10 %
|
6. Adequacy of follow up
| |
i) Complete follow up, all participants accounted for
|
22 %
|
ii) Loss to follow up unlikely to introduce bias (<20 % loss, or >20 % but those lost described and unlikely to be different from those followed)
|
61 %
|
iii) Follow up <80 % and no description of those lost
|
3 %
|
iv) No statement
|
14 %
|
7. Report both acute and post-acute mortality (or that information can be determined from the reported data)
| |
i) At one year
|
72.9 %
|
ii) Between 2 and 10 years [11, 29–32]
|
8.5 %
|
iii) No mortality data/post-acute mortality not estimable/follow-up time unclear [21, 24–28]
|
10.2 %
|