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Table 2 Quality of assessment of primary outcome according to the GRADE system

From: Effect of stellate ganglion block on postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function in patients undergoing surgery with general anaesthesia: a meta-analysis

Certainty assessment

Summary of findings

Participants (studies) Follow up

Risk of bias

Inconsistency

Indirectness

Imprecision

Publication bias

Overall certainty of evidence

Study event rates (%)

Relative effect (95% CI)

Anticipated absolute effects

With sham therapy or blank control

With SGB

Risk with sham therapy or blank control

Risk difference with SGB

Postoperative flatus time (Scale from: 0 to 100)

 274 (5 RCTs)

Not serious a

Seriousb

Not serious

Not serious c

Noned

Moderate

146

128

The mean postoperative flatus time was 146 h

MD 15.07 h lower (27.58 lower to 2.56 lower)

  1. CI confidence interval, MD mean difference
  2. aFour studies reported how the random sequence was generated, while one only stated that patients were randomly allocated into two groups but did not mention how randomization. Two included studies did not perform any sham procedures, so the allocation concealment and blinding of participants and personnel could not be assessed, leading to a high risk of selection and performance bias [15, 16]. Furthermore, no studies described blinding of outcome assessments
  3. bThe number of included studies is small, and there are some differences among them
  4. cWe calculate the optimal information size, the largest one is 102, and the total sample of each group are both more than 102
  5. dThe publication bias was assessed by using funnel plot (the funnel plot is symmetrical), the Begg and the Egger test (the P value were 0.22 and 0.65 separately)