Article makes simple errors and could cause unnecessary deaths

doi:10.1136/bmj.324.7330.167

BMJ 2002;324:167 ( 19 January )

Letters

Article makes simple errors and could cause unnecessary deaths

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ The worldwide meta-analysis of antiplatelet trials shows that low dose aspirin (or some other effective antiplateletregimen) reduces non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke,and vascular death in a wide range of patients who are at highrisk of occlusive vascular disease.¹ A paper disputing thiswas published concurrently in the For Debate section of the journal,²but the arguments in it (some of which the author also publishedon the same date in an editorial in the Lancet)³ depend stronglyon quite simple mistakes about the randomised evidence and couldcause unnecessarydeaths.

Consider, for example, the ISIS-2 trial of short term antiplatelet therapy, in which 17 187 patients with suspected acutemyocardial infarction were randomised, half to active aspirinand half to placebo.⁴ This trial showed a clear reduction infive week all cause mortality (811/8587 (9.4%) aspirin v 1030/8600(12.0%) placebo deaths, 2P<0.00001).⁵ Bizarrely, in a . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

Sudlow, C., Sandercock, P., Warlow, C., Pignone, M., Mulrow, C. (2002). Antiplatelet therapy and atherosclerotic events. BMJ 324: 917-917 [Full text]
Smith, R A, Beverley, D W, Ball, R J (2002). Pattern of some parents' complaints against doctors must be recognised. BMJ 324: 852-852 [Full text]
Cleland, J. G F (2002). Chronic aspirin is effective---if data are massaged sufficiently. BMJ 324: 295-295 [Full text]