Is there a sex difference in mortality rates for deaths occurring in paediatric intensive care units? Systematic literature review protocol

Introduction In the general population, female children have been reported to have a survival advantage. For children admitted to paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), mortality has been reported to be lower in males despite the higher admission rates for males into intensive care. This apparent...

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Main Authors: Richard Feltbower, Bianca De Stavola, Amanda Friend, Luigi Palla, Ofran Almossawi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2021-02-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/2/e046794.full
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author Richard Feltbower
Bianca De Stavola
Amanda Friend
Luigi Palla
Ofran Almossawi
author_facet Richard Feltbower
Bianca De Stavola
Amanda Friend
Luigi Palla
Ofran Almossawi
author_sort Richard Feltbower
collection DOAJ
description Introduction In the general population, female children have been reported to have a survival advantage. For children admitted to paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), mortality has been reported to be lower in males despite the higher admission rates for males into intensive care. This apparent sex reversal in PICU mortality is not well studied. To address this, we propose to conduct a systematic literature review to summarise the available evidence. Our review will study the reported differences in mortality between males and females aged 0–17, who died in a PICU, to examine if there is a difference between the two sexes in PICU mortality, and if so, to describe the magnitude and direction of this difference.Methods and analysis Studies that directly or indirectly addressed the association between sex and mortality in children admitted to intensive care will be eligible for inclusion. Studies that directly address the association will be eligible for data extraction. The search strings were based on terms related to the population (children in intensive care), the exposure (sex) and the outcome (mortality). We used the databases MEDLINE (1946–2020), Embase (1980–2020) and Web of Science (1985–2020) as these cover relevant clinical publications. We will assess the reliability of included studies using the risk of bias in observational studies of exposures tool. We will consider a pooled effect if we have at least three studies with similar periods of follow up and adjustment variables.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required for this review as it will synthesise data from existing studies. This manuscript is a part of a larger data linkage study, for which Ethical approval was granted. Dissemination will be via peer-reviewed journals and via public and patient groups.PROSPERO registration number CRD42020203009.
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spelling doaj-art-a94a7c4add0a42c8a8531b4f5a11410d2024-11-17T09:55:08ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552021-02-0111210.1136/bmjopen-2020-046794Is there a sex difference in mortality rates for deaths occurring in paediatric intensive care units? Systematic literature review protocolRichard Feltbower0Bianca De Stavola1Amanda Friend2Luigi Palla3Ofran Almossawi49 Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UKUCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, UCL, London, UK4Birmingham Children’s Hospital3 Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK1Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust and University College London, UKIntroduction In the general population, female children have been reported to have a survival advantage. For children admitted to paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), mortality has been reported to be lower in males despite the higher admission rates for males into intensive care. This apparent sex reversal in PICU mortality is not well studied. To address this, we propose to conduct a systematic literature review to summarise the available evidence. Our review will study the reported differences in mortality between males and females aged 0–17, who died in a PICU, to examine if there is a difference between the two sexes in PICU mortality, and if so, to describe the magnitude and direction of this difference.Methods and analysis Studies that directly or indirectly addressed the association between sex and mortality in children admitted to intensive care will be eligible for inclusion. Studies that directly address the association will be eligible for data extraction. The search strings were based on terms related to the population (children in intensive care), the exposure (sex) and the outcome (mortality). We used the databases MEDLINE (1946–2020), Embase (1980–2020) and Web of Science (1985–2020) as these cover relevant clinical publications. We will assess the reliability of included studies using the risk of bias in observational studies of exposures tool. We will consider a pooled effect if we have at least three studies with similar periods of follow up and adjustment variables.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required for this review as it will synthesise data from existing studies. This manuscript is a part of a larger data linkage study, for which Ethical approval was granted. Dissemination will be via peer-reviewed journals and via public and patient groups.PROSPERO registration number CRD42020203009.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/2/e046794.full
spellingShingle Richard Feltbower
Bianca De Stavola
Amanda Friend
Luigi Palla
Ofran Almossawi
Is there a sex difference in mortality rates for deaths occurring in paediatric intensive care units? Systematic literature review protocol
BMJ Open
title Is there a sex difference in mortality rates for deaths occurring in paediatric intensive care units? Systematic literature review protocol
title_full Is there a sex difference in mortality rates for deaths occurring in paediatric intensive care units? Systematic literature review protocol
title_fullStr Is there a sex difference in mortality rates for deaths occurring in paediatric intensive care units? Systematic literature review protocol
title_full_unstemmed Is there a sex difference in mortality rates for deaths occurring in paediatric intensive care units? Systematic literature review protocol
title_short Is there a sex difference in mortality rates for deaths occurring in paediatric intensive care units? Systematic literature review protocol
title_sort is there a sex difference in mortality rates for deaths occurring in paediatric intensive care units systematic literature review protocol
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/2/e046794.full
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