Cochrane Review Group

Anaesthesia

125 systematic reviews in Anaesthesia ask 1,463 questions. 13.5% have no studies to answer them, 21% rest on very low certainty evidence and 21.5% reach moderate or high certainty.

Reviews

125

Questions

1,463

current versions

No studies

13.5%

Moderate or high

21.5%

No studies 197 · 13.5%Ungraded 203 · 13.9%Very low 307 · 21%Low 441 · 30.1%Moderate 245 · 16.7%High 70 · 4.8%

Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.

Search questions in Anaesthesia

Thinnest evidence

All no studies and very low questions

Question	Effect	Evidence	Status / GRADE
Summary of findings ‐ Erector spinae plane block vs intercostal nerve block Mean difference in postoperative pain intensity at rest 24 hours postoperatively (VAS 0 to 10) · adults undergoing surgery with general anaesthesia Erector spinae plane block for postoperative pain (2024) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	2 studies · 131 participants	Very low
Summary of findings ‐ Erector spinae plane block vs intercostal nerve block Rates of block‐related adverse events · adults undergoing surgery with general anaesthesia Erector spinae plane block for postoperative pain (2024) · Cochrane	RR 0.09 [0.04, 2.28]	3 studies · 181 participants	Very low
Summary of findings ‐ Erector spinae plane block vs epidural analgesia Mean difference in postoperative pain intensity at rest 24 hours postoperatively (VAS 0 to 10) · adults undergoing surgery with general anaesthesia Erector spinae plane block for postoperative pain (2024) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	2 studies · 81 participants	Very low
Hyperangulated videolaryngoscopy vs direct laryngoscopy Dental trauma · adults undergoing tracheal intubation Videolaryngoscopy versus direct laryngoscopy for adults undergoing tracheal intubation (2022) · Cochrane	RR 0.51 [0.16, 1.59]	30 studies · 3497 participants	Very low
Hyperangulated videolaryngoscopy vs direct laryngoscopy Time for tracheal intubation · adults undergoing tracheal intubation Videolaryngoscopy versus direct laryngoscopy for adults undergoing tracheal intubation (2022) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	59 studies · 6644 participants	Very low
Channelled videolaryngoscopy vs direct laryngoscopy Successful first attempt · adults undergoing tracheal intubation Videolaryngoscopy versus direct laryngoscopy for adults undergoing tracheal intubation (2022) · Cochrane	RR 1.1 [1.05, 1.15]	47 studies · 5210 participants	Very low
Channelled videolaryngoscopy vs direct laryngoscopy Dental trauma · adults undergoing tracheal intubation Videolaryngoscopy versus direct laryngoscopy for adults undergoing tracheal intubation (2022) · Cochrane	RR 0.52 [0.13, 2.12]	29 studies · 2375 participants	Very low
Channelled videolaryngoscopy vs direct laryngoscopy Time for tracheal intubation · adults undergoing tracheal intubation Videolaryngoscopy versus direct laryngoscopy for adults undergoing tracheal intubation (2022) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	57 studies · 5676 participants	Very low
Macintosh‐style videolaryngoscopy vs direct laryngoscopy Dental trauma · adults undergoing tracheal intubation Videolaryngoscopy versus direct laryngoscopy for adults undergoing tracheal intubation (2022) · Cochrane	RR 0.68 [0.16, 2.89]	18 studies · 2297 participants	Very low
Macintosh‐style videolaryngoscopy vs direct laryngoscopy Time for tracheal intubation · adults undergoing tracheal intubation Videolaryngoscopy versus direct laryngoscopy for adults undergoing tracheal intubation (2022) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	35 studies · 4061 participants	Very low
Intervention NR Time to first analgesic request (mean time in minutes) · adults undergoing surgery Pre‐emptive and preventive NSAIDs for postoperative pain in adults undergoing all types of surgery (2021) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	8 studies · 410 participants	Very low
Intervention NR Adverse events · adults undergoing surgery Pre‐emptive and preventive NSAIDs for postoperative pain in adults undergoing all types of surgery (2021) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	NR	No studies

Reviews 125

Perioperative alcohol cessation intervention for postoperative complications

Egholm, JWM, Pedersen, B, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2018

Anaesthesia

Thinnest evidence

Reviews 125

Perioperative alcohol cessation intervention for postoperative complications

Continuous intravenous perioperative lidocaine infusion for postoperative pain and recovery in adults

Use of hyaluronidase as an adjunct to local anaesthetic eye blocks to reduce intraoperative pain in adults

Epidural analgesia versus patient‐controlled intravenous analgesia for pain following intra‐abdominal surgery in adults

Cerebral near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for perioperative monitoring of brain oxygenation in children and adults

Pulmonary artery perfusion versus no perfusion during cardiopulmonary bypass for open heart surgery in adults

Intraoperative use of low volume ventilation to decrease postoperative mortality, mechanical ventilation, lengths of stay and lung injury in adults without acute lung injury

Processed electroencephalogram and evoked potential techniques for amelioration of postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction following non‐cardiac and non‐neurosurgical procedures in adults

Adverse side effects of dexamethasone in surgical patients

Intravenous versus inhalational maintenance of anaesthesia for postoperative cognitive outcomes in elderly people undergoing non‐cardiac surgery

Continuation versus discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy for bleeding and ischaemic events in adults undergoing non‐cardiac surgery

Pre‐emptive and preventive opioids for postoperative pain in adults undergoing all types of surgery

Perioperative administration of buffered versus non‐buffered crystalloid intravenous fluid to improve outcomes following adult surgical procedures

Topical anaesthetics for pain control during repair of dermal laceration

ProSeal versus Classic laryngeal mask airway (LMA) for positive pressure ventilation in adults undergoing elective surgery

Avoidance versus use of neuromuscular blocking agents for improving conditions during tracheal intubation or direct laryngoscopy in adults and adolescents

Needle gauge and tip designs for preventing post‐dural puncture headache (PDPH)

Total intravenous anaesthesia versus inhalational anaesthesia for adults undergoing transabdominal robotic assisted laparoscopic surgery

Videolaryngoscopy versus direct laryngoscopy for tracheal intubation in children (excluding neonates)

Nerve blocks or no nerve blocks for pain control after elective hip replacement (arthroplasty) surgery in adults

Dexamethasone as an adjuvant to peripheral nerve block

Cuffed versus uncuffed endotracheal tubes for general anaesthesia in children aged eight years and under

Efficacy and safety of sugammadex versus neostigmine in reversing neuromuscular blockade in adults

Anaesthesia for hip fracture surgery in adults

Epidural local anaesthetics versus opioid‐based analgesic regimens for postoperative gastrointestinal paralysis, vomiting and pain after abdominal surgery