Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Studies of the following designs that assessed the effect of systemic antibiotics in acute pancreatitis were included: prospective randomised and non-randomised controlled trials (RCTs), retrospective cohort studies; prospective case series with historical control; case control; and retrospective review with historical control.
Specific interventions included in the review
Systemic antibiotic drug therapies included were: either alone or in combination: amino glycosides; penicillin; cephalosporin; ampicillin; imipenen; cefuroxime; ceftazidime; amikacin; metronidazole; and variable unspecified antibiotics. The antibiotics were used either alone or in combination. Comparisons included no treatment and placebo. Medical management included the standard medical care or intensive care management. Selective decontamination of the digestive tract or continuous regional arterial antibiotic infusion were excluded.
Participants included in the review
Patients with acute pancreatitis, defined variably, and including the following groups were studied: acute or acute relapsing pancreatitis; upper abdominal pain and serum amylase above 160 U/dl; necrotizing pancreatitis including those diagnosed by contrast-enhanced computerized tomography; severe alcohol-induced necrotizing pancreatitis; alcoholic pancreatitis; and severe acute pancreatitis with pancreatic necrosis, peripancreatic necrosis, or peripancreatic fluid collection.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The primary outcome was infectious complications. Other outcomes mentioned included mortality, length of hospitalisation, and pancreatic and non-pancreatic septic complications.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors do not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the authors performed the selection.